Recycling for Good at TISE

IRVING, Texas – After January’s The International Surface Event, Hanley Wood Exhibitions loaded 50 tons, and what did they get?

A load of thanks from charitable organizations, as the event owner/producer helped in donating more than 100,000 lbs of gently-used floor coverings, stone and tile products in an effort coordinated by the Mountain Re-Source Center and its subsidiary, Tile Partners for Humanity.

250 TISEHanley Wood provided a complimentary booth on the show floor in Las Vegas to Mountain Re-Source Center to enable representatives to solicit exhibitor donations, answer questions and assist with donor logistics before, during and after the three-day event. Product donations filled six 53’ trailers to capacity and one large flatbed stacked high with rolls of carpet.

The full circle effort involved Hanley Wood’s vendor partners led by Freeman Companies, who provided the necessary equipment and resources to remove donated product from the show floor, as well as the manpower needed to strategically pack and load the trailers.

United Services provided material transport and cleaning services, and Mandalay Bay Convention Center spearheaded the massive effort to sort and recycle the remaining waste materials left on site.

Donations from the show have more than doubled since the program was launched in 2012. The difficulty of recycling carpet results in large quantities ending up in U.S. landfills each year, making the sizable amount of donated carpet even more impactful.

The gently-used product was delivered to two charitable organizations – Habitat for Humanity (Las Vegas chapter) and River Valley Community Outreach Center (Gridley, Calif.), who plan to utilize the materials to support community improvement efforts currently underway.

Exhibiting companies of all sizes from the floorcovering, stone and tile industries actively participated in the Hanley Wood recycling initiative. Major contributors included:

  • Beaulieu America
  • Bedrosians
  • Best Buy Flooring Source
  • IVC US Inc.
  • Mannington Mills
  • Phenix
  • QuickStep
  • Stanton Carpet
  • Tarkett
  • Urban Floor
  • US Floors

In addition to receiving a tax-deductible donation, exhibitors received the benefit of knowing their product would be put to good use after the show.

“Without the strong partnership we’ve built with Hanley Wood, Freeman and the ever-growing list of donating exhibitors over the past several years, this initiative wouldn’t be possible,” said Herb Miller, Executive Director of Mountain Re-Source Center. “The donations collected support our non-profit partners who work in impoverished communities around the country. This massive effort will enable families in need to build better lives.”

The joint initiative which included support from Freeman Companies, United Services and Mandalay Bay Convention Center, was successful in recycling 540,000 lbs. of commodity material. As a result of the effort, 80% of the total waste generated from the show was recycled. Recycled materials included cardboard, carpet, carpet pads, concrete, metal, aluminum, paper, plastics, wood crates and pallets.

“As a leading organizer of trade shows in the United States, we are very proud to lead this initiative,” said Dana Teague, Vice President, Hanley Wood Exhibitions. “The social responsibility that many of our exhibiting companies and partners are displaying will make a positive impact that is immeasurable. We feel a responsibility to bring light to the many ways recycling efforts can be implemented in business models year-round.”