Dallas—Dal-Tile is committed to identifying ways to improve processes and implement sustainable initiatives that will reduce its impact on the environment. This past year, the company furthered its sustainability efforts by developing and implementing a “mobile tile crusher” for use at three of its production facilities.
“While 97% of our manufactured floor tile meets our high-quality standards, 3% does not, leading to waste,” said Robert Hurt, director of environmental, health and sustainability services for Dal-Tile. “A team was engaged to determine a way to efficiently crush and recycle scrap tile, without which a facility would never be able to achieve our Zero Landfill initiative. To limit the environmental impact of this waste, we developed the mobile tile crusher—a crusher that travels to three of our locations on a routine schedule.”
This customized solution not only pushed the boundaries of tile production, but also significantly cut costs for disposing of scrap tile wastes. The company conducted extensive research to ensure that the mobile system complied with environmental regulations and that the crushed material could be safely incorporated back into the manufacturing process.
“The development of the mobile tile crusher meant each of the plants could keep tons of scrap material from reaching landfills,” Hurt added. “Even though waste fired tile is inert and does not cause contamination, keeping this material out of a landfill makes more room for other wastes that cannot be recycled and extends the life of the landfill. By this process, we have proven how scrap tile, once deemed ‘unsellable,’ can be ground into consistent recyclable particles and safely go back into our new products.”