Seeking solutions for the recycling of cardboard cores for artificial turf carpets

Artificial turf on sports field is used as a replacement for natural grass field due to its diminished maintenance requirements.

Carpet rolls are shipped on cardboard cores that are 15 feet long with an outer diameter of 120 mm and thickness of 9 mm. Most of the cores will still be in good shape, though some typically are worn or damaged during installation. As crews are only site for a limited timeframe (~21 days), the cores have no solution except landfilling in dumpsters. Each job site typically has approximately 30-40 cores.

Challenge: While the cardboard of the rolls themselves is recyclable, because the turf is shipped nationwide and local recycling containers are seldom available due to project location complications, the cardboard cores are often sent to landfill.

Requirements

• The solution must and straightforward to implement and scalable in all regions nationwide (or at least major population regions).
• Must be cost effective (i.e. not a significant cost investment <$10k) for equipment or technology.
• Should provide for minimal additional work for the onsite jobsite crew.
• Any solution must be able to work within the timeframe of the job project and should take no more than a few days to solve.
• If technology is required, the additional onsite steps required (cutting, etc), must be simple to understand and execute.
• Due to the nationwide nature of the problem, the solution must avoid double handling materials or requiring the crew to move material offsite (i.e. bringing it to a facility), as this would require facilities nationwide.

Possible solution areas

• Avenues reuse or re-sell the materials locally
• An alternative to cardboard cores for carpet shipping

Discarded solutions

• Centralized collection - freight costs and carbon dioxide emissions far outweigh any environmental advantage to collection