Columbia Recycling

What Columbia Recycling does

Columbia Recycling Corporation is a fourth-generation, family-run industrial recycling business headquartered at 1001 Chattanooga Ave, Dalton, Georgia, operating in the heart of the U.S. carpet manufacturing cluster. The company reprocesses millions of pounds of fiber annually, diverting synthetic waste streams (primarily nylon, polyester, and polypropylene) from landfills. Its operations span fiber collection, multi-stage sorting (with fiber tested up to five times for quality), extrusion, pelletizing, and shoddy production for carpet cushion applications.

The company's commercial offering is divided into three core product lines and four service lines. The Plastics line, launched in 2011, extrudes and pelletizes pure synthetic threads including nylon and polypropylene, as well as nylon softback carpet and post-consumer products. The Baled Fiber line sorts nylon, polyester, mix, and polypropylene fibers, including softback post-industrial nylon 6. The Shoddy line opens fiber for carpet cushion and produces custom blends. Service lines include Precision Cut (yarn cutting to specification), Downsizing (size reduction), Tolling (fee-for-service processing), and Post-Consumer Carpet manufacturing and cleaning.

Columbia monetizes through two complementary models: commodity sales of recycled plastics, baled fiber, and shoddy to manufacturers, and fee-for-service tolling and precision processing for customers requiring custom cutting, downsizing, pelletizing, or post-consumer carpet work. Go-to-market is direct B2B sales via phone and a basic company website, with no disclosed marketing automation or formal sales organization. Customer segments are horizontal, spanning manufacturers generating synthetic fiber waste and the carpet and flooring industry. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based given the customized nature of services. The company is privately held, independently owned by the founding family, with no disclosed investors, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Columbia Recycling

Legal name

Columbia Recycling Corporation

Website

https://columbiarecyclingcorp.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Columbia Recycling Corporation is a fourth-generation, family-run industrial recycler in Dalton, GA that processes millions of pounds of synthetic fiber annually, sorting, extruding, and pelletizing nylon and polypropylene into plastics, baled fiber, and shoddy for manufacturers and the carpet industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Recycling Services

NAICS

Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521)

SIC

Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

Reprocessed Resin & Recycled Polymer Compounding (PCR/PIR Compounds) (IMANAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mechanical Recycling (Wash, Grind, Pelletize) (EUAIAKAB)

Keywords

• Synthetic fiber recycling
• Plastic extrusion pelletizing
• Post-consumer carpet processing
• Industrial waste recycling
• Recycled baled fiber

Headquarters

HQ city

Dalton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Recycled Materials Sales: Columbia Recycling generates revenue through the sale of processed recycled materials including plastics (extruded nylon and polypropylene pellets), baled fiber (nylon, polyester, mix, polypropylene), and shoddy (opened fiber for carpet cushion). These are commodity products sold to manufacturers.
2. Tolling Services: The company provides tolling services for customers who need precision cutting, downsizing, pelletizing, or post-consumer carpet processing. This is a fee-for-service model where customers pay for processing services on their materials.
3. Precision Processing Services: Additional revenue streams include precision cutting of yarn to any desired length, downsizing services for products, and custom shoddy blending for carpet cushion needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Columbia Recycling reprocesses synthetic and post-consumer waste streams into finished recycled materials and provides custom processing services. Its product portfolio includes recycled plastics (extruded nylon and polypropylene pellets), baled fiber (nylon, polyester, mix, polypropylene, nylon 6 softback), and shoddy (opened fiber for carpet cushion). The company also offers tolling and precision processing services — precision yarn cutting, downsizing, pelletizing, and post-consumer carpet manufacturing and cleaning — for industrial customers in manufacturing and flooring sectors.

Product overview

Columbia Recycling Corporation is a fourth-generation, family-run recycling business offering a diversified portfolio of recycled materials and processing services. The core product offerings include Plastics (extruding and pelletizing synthetic fibers such as nylon and polypropylene, expanded in 2011), Baled Fiber (sorting various fibers including nylon, polyester, mix, and polypropylene with five-stage quality testing), and Shoddy (fiber opened for carpet cushion needs with custom blend capabilities). These material products are supported by complementary services including Precision Cut (yarn cutting to any desired length), Downsizing (machinery for product size reduction), Tolling (precision cutting, downsizing, pelletizing, and post-consumer carpet services), and Post-Consumer Carpet (manufacturing and cleaning of nylon and polypropylene post-consumer carpet).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastics (Recycled Plastics) Recycled plastic products manufactured by extruding and pelletizing synthetic threads including nylon and polypropylene, as well as nylon softback carpet and post-consumer products in nylon and polypropylene.
• Baled Fiber Sorted fiber products including nylon, polyester, mix, and polypropylene varieties, plus softback post-industrial fiber in nylon 6. All fiber is tested up to five times during the sorting process to monitor quality.
• Shoddy Opened fiber processed from polyester, polypropylene, or mixed fibers for carpet cushion needs, with custom blends available for customers.
• Precision Cut Service Precision yarn cutting service that cuts yarn to any desired length for customer specifications.
• Downsizing Service Downsizing service that reduces products to smaller sizes using Columbia's machinery for customers who lack the equipment themselves.
• Tolling Service Fee-for-service tolling for precision cutting, downsizing, pelletizing, and post-consumer carpet processing on customer-supplied materials.
• Post-Consumer Carpet Service Manufacturing and cleaning of post-consumer carpet dealing specifically in nylon and polypropylene materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every year, Columbia reprocesses millions of pounds of fiber that would otherwise crowd landfills

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Aquafil: Aquafil operates the ECONYL process for closed-loop nylon 6 recycling from post-consumer carpet and other waste. It is the most direct global peer to Columbia's nylon-focused recycling and pelletizing operation, competing for the same post-consumer carpet feedstock.
• KW Plastics: KW Plastics is one of the largest post-consumer HDPE and PP recyclers in North America, producing PCR resins and compounds. It competes with Columbia's plastics recycling and pelletizing business on similar recycled polyolefin inputs and customers.
• Evergreen Plastics: Evergreen Plastics is a US post-consumer HDPE recycling company producing recycled resin pellets. It is comparable to Columbia's plastics pelletizing business in technology, customer base, and product format.
• Custom Polymers: Custom Polymers is a US plastics recycler specializing in compounding PCR and PIR resins and tolling services. It is comparable to Columbia on both the recycled resin compounding and tolling/processing service model.
• CarbonLite: CarbonLite is a US PET bottle recycler producing food-grade rPET pellets. It is a peer in mechanical plastics recycling and pelletizing, though focused on PET rather than nylon/PP, sharing Columbia's processing model.

Broad incumbents

• Shaw Industries: Shaw Industries is the largest US carpet manufacturer, headquartered in Dalton, GA. It is both a likely major customer for Columbia's recycled fiber and an adjacent incumbent with its own internal recycling and sustainability programs (e.g., Shaw's ReCover recycling).
• Mohawk Industries: Mohawk Industries is a global flooring and carpet giant with significant Dalton-area operations. It is a peer as both a potential customer for recycled carpet content and a broad incumbent shaping sustainable-flooring supply chains.
• DAK Americas: DAK Americas is a major North American producer of PET and polyester resins, including recycled PET. It is a broad incumbent competing for recycled polymer customers and feedstock, with significant scale advantages over Columbia.
• Avient Corporation: Avient is a specialty polymer and recycled-content compounder serving diverse end markets. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Columbia in recycled compounding and engineered polymer formulations, especially for fiber and carpet applications.

Regional players

• Bonded Fiber Recycling: Bonded Fiber Recycling is a UK-based post-consumer carpet and textile recycler. It is comparable to Columbia on feedstock (post-consumer carpet), products (recycled fiber and shoddy), and customer base, but operates in the UK/European market rather than the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbia Recycling