Yellowstone Park Recyclables Converted into Carpet Backing

by Bart King

Georgia-based Universal Textile announced it will purchase all of the recyclable plastic bottles collected at Yellowstone National Park and convert them into a non-woven, fleece material used as a backing for carpet and synthetic turf.

Like many recyclable materials collected in America, most plastics collected in Yellowstone had previously been sold overseas. There they were used to produce plastic products that were later sold in the U.S.

Universal Textile said the new recycling partnership with Yellowstone protects jobs for the American workforce, while reducing the number of plastic bottles that go into landfills.

"Yellowstone was created as the world's first national park in 1872," said Jim Evanoff, an innovative and nationally recognized speaker on the Yellowstone Eco-System, and an Environmental Protection Specialist with Yellowstone National Park. "We have an obligation to set the example for promoting sound environmental stewardship practices that will serve as a model for future generations. This new partnership not only diverts plastics from landfills, it dramatically decreases the fuel and other resources used to transport materials around the planet."

The Yellowstone bottles will go into making BioCel and EnviroCel. The two types of carpet backing also utilize renewable soybean-based polyols derived from domestically grown soybeans, and both use Celceram, a refined material recovered from coal combustion in electric utility power plants. Both products count towards credits for LEED certification.

Photo by Steven Depolo/flickr/Creative Commons

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Life Media