HEIDELBERG, Pa. -- If your wall-to-wall carpeting has seen better days, you might be tempted to just send in out with the trash. But with billions of pounds of used carpeting ending up in landfills every year, some companies are looking for ways to recycle used floor coverings.

Steinberger Floors in Heidelberg is one of the largest carpet suppliers in the Pittsburgh area, and the only carpet recycling center.

Owner David Steinberger said that over the past two years they’ve diverted about 800,000 to 900,000 pounds of carpeting that normally would have ended up at a landfill.

Every month Steinberger said his company ships four tractor trailer loads of old carpet to Georgia or Tennessee reclamation centers to be broken down, recycled and reused.

Carpet recycling manager Amie Piz said the company hasn’t been as concerned about what carpet you put in your home as what you do when you take it out.

“There's just a need. Carpet is the second leading product that goes into our landfills from a construction standpoint and there are so many different things we can do with it,” Piz said.

So where might you see your old carpet again? Try looking underfoot, since some carpeting is recycled into carpet padding. Consumers will also find old carpet in composite lumber, children’s toys, concrete and in cars.

Steinberger is hoping to build the company’s own reclamation plant within the next few years.

For more information about carpet recycling, and for a list of some of the products made from recycled carpet, visit www.carpetrecovery.org.