BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
One year after started its carbon fibre recycling programme, Trek Bicycle has said the US firm has reclaimed 70,000 lbs. (32, 000kg) of carbon from composite frames. Trek works with in partnership with Materials Innovation Technologies of South Carolina to reclaim the carbon from its domestic manufacturing facility in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
Since April of 2011, all manufacturing scraps, non-compliant frame components, and select reclaimed warranty frames undergo processing at Material Innovation Technologies’ facility. The South Carolina company also repurposes reinforced thermoplastic applications, including aerospace, automotive, medical and recreational applications.
Trek’s Senior Composites Manufacturing Engineer Jim Colegrove said: “We’re really proud of the results that we have had in just one year. Now that carbon has become such a commonly used material in cycling, it’s important for all brands to consider the entire life cycle of a product.”
Trek began manufacturing their OCLV-carbon frames in 1992.
