GuestPost: Recycled Cork Flooring

Environmental protection and conservation is among the top concerns in the world today.  It seems that in all facets of living, eco-friendly actions are a priority.  It is natural, then, to expect this importance to drift into the home.  While many homeowners consider solar panels, heat conservation, and earth friendly paints, another great avenue to ‘go green’, is in flooring.  Many forms of flooring are simply not environmentally sound, nor can they be recycled.  This is not the case in cork flooring.  Aside from the many benefits of cork flooring, such as insulation, sound proofing, and budget friendliness, cork flooring is one of the few flooring types that can be made from recycled materials and can also be recycled once uninstalled from a floor.
Cork flooring promotes the conservation of trees and does not harm the environment during the manufacturing process.  It is completely biodegradable and easily recycled again and again.   Currently, only about 5% of cork is recycled annually.  While some of this is from old cork flooring, the majority is from bottle corks and cork board.  Ironically, a large portion of the cork that is recycled is made into cork flooring.  Because cork flooring is easy to construct, it is the optimal choice for much of the recycled cork around the world.
Recycled cork flooring is just as valuable as new cork flooring.  One of the benefits of cork is that the material is durable enough to withstand many periods of recycling without losing its resilience.  As a matter of fact, without a tag certifying it as recycled, consumers would not know the difference.
Furthermore, its resilience means that cork flooring, itself, can be recycled.  When a consumer needs to change flooring in a room, many other flooring materials are damaged to the point of being unusable.  This is not the case for cork.  One can simply place the pieces in garbage bags and drop them off at the nearest recycling center.
Cork is an all-around environmentally friendly material that does not create waste.  It is durable, inexpensive, and resilient.  It promotes conservation without leaving manufacturers needing to apply special techniques to create it.  Because it is so easy to recycle, it can be used over and over, extending its life and uses for many years.  For persons interested in helping to promote the recycling of cork flooring, simply contact your nearest recycling center for information.