Water Recycling
Axminster Carpets has invested in excess of £2m in a brand new facility engineered to convert its waste water back to a level where it can be completely reused.
The Buckfast Spinning Mill has traditionally used water from the local River Dart to wash wool prior to the spinning process as well as dyeing yarn. Previously the waste water from the manufacturing processes would be discharged and treated by the local water authority.
Now 95% of the waste water will be re-used back into the plant processes and the residual waste is being converted to bio-fuel with the long term plan to use this to power the company’s lorry fleet and manufacturing plant
Fully commissioned in late 2009, the water recycling plant will handle 3 million litres of waste water per week.
The new plant is specifically designed to allow the mill to use the same water on a continuous basis. All contaminants are removed from the washing and dyeing processes, and this enables the water to be re-used without entering the eco-system.
(Simon Dutfield, Josh Dutfield and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at the opening of the water treatment plant.)
The commissioning of this new water treatment plant represents Axminster Carpets’ ongoing strategy to minimise the impact of its yarn spinning and carpet manufacturing processes on the environment. The company’s vision is to become the industry leader in sustainable low carbon manufacturing to support its ‘Natural, British, Beautiful’ ethos.
