Thousands of tons of old ceiling tiles will soon be diverted from local landfills thanks to a new agreement between Armstrong World Industries, a manufacturer of acoustical ceiling systems, and Waste Management, a provider of environmental services.
With the addition of more than 50 Waste Management material recovery facilities, the new initiative is expected to significantly expand Armstrong’s existing Ceiling Recycling Program. The program is the longest running of its kind and enables commercial building owners to send ceilings from construction sites to an Armstrong ceiling plant as an alternative to landfill disposal.
Waste Management will collect mineral fiber and fiberglass ceiling tiles that have been removed from commercial renovation and demolition projects. It will then ship them to the nearest Armstrong ceilings plant, where they will be used in the manufacture of new ceiling tiles. Armstrong designates new tiles made with high levels of recycled ceilings as Ceiling-2-Ceiling™ tiles.
Since the program began in 1999, Armstrong has recycled over 123 million square feet of old ceiling tiles. This represents more than 16,000 roll-off containers of discarded construction materials that would have otherwise been taken to landfills.
“As leaders in the ceiling industry, we continue to develop sustainable, innovative breakthroughs in both products and programs that provide valuable closed loop solutions to our customers,” says Anita Snader, environmental sustainability manager for Armstrong. “A key goal of our program is to provide easy access to ceiling recycling where and when a customer needs it. Our collaboration with Waste Management will enhance this offering, allowing much more material to be recycled.”