Made in Arizona: facility in Phoenix recycles carpets for other uses

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- A recycling facility in the Valley transforms textiles, so they can be reused.

Every year in the United States, four billion pounds of carpet ends up in landfills, but one Italian-based company is changing the game with some high-tech recycling equipment. Aquafil just opened the first carpet-recycling facility in the country in Phoenix.

"We take them back, we decommission, and we recycle 100% of them," said Giulio Bonazzi, Chairman and CEO of Aquafil.

The facility turns the carpets back into raw material, which goes to three main areas: mug construction or concrete, injection molding to make plastic, or nylon, which Bonazzi says is the most important part.

"About 35% to 38% is nylon, which is shipped back to Europe for our regeneration system, which we call 'Econyl'," said Bonazzi.

Aquafil claims its Econyl regeneration system is the only system capable of regenerating nylon 6 from waste. The carpets are then shipped back to Phoenix to be shredded and separated.

There's about 30 people working at the 116,000 square foot building, but that number will likely rise as the company continues to grow.

"I can say that we found incredible people, very much passionate about what we're doing and this is making me very proud," said Bonazzi.