A project to recycle carpet tiles has received a grant of more than half a million pounds to expand and become self-supporting.

The scheme - founded by Carpet tile giants Interface Europe, which has its European headquarters in Shelf - reduces the number of carpet tiles which end up in landfill sites, while providing training and work opportunities for adults with learning difficulties.

Several organisations are involved in the scheme, which the company started about three years ago.

Now it has received a £572,678 grant with the lion's share coming from Biffaward, which manages landfill tax credits, and the remainder from donations from companies including Interface Europe, which donated a tenth of the total.

John Mooney, environmental manager for Interface Europe, is also company secretary of Pennine Magpie, a non-profit-making organisation which trains people from disadvantaged groups, mainly adults with disabilities. Pennine Magpie will offer training places on the carpet recycling scheme for up to a dozen people.

It has leased premises on Calderdale Business Park, in Halifax, which are being fitted out with new machinery this week and will, hopefully, be operational within two weeks.

Mr Mooney said: "Ray Anderson who owns Interface Europe, has been on a quest for sustainability for the last seven years. He realised that a business which sells oil-based products will eventually not survive when oil supplies run out.

"He began working on initiatives to make the business sustainable.

"Pennine Magpie gives adults with learning difficulties training, puts them through City and Guilds qualifications and develops their numeracy and literacy.

"Last year about 12 out of 40 trainees found full-time jobs."

The used carpet comes from Interface's customers who are being fitted out with new carpets.

Interface gives the carpet to Pennine Magpie to sort and clean, with the help of their trainees.

Mr Mooney added: "We get the carpet back from our customer before its ten-year lifespan is up.

"Some parts of the carpet have been under filing cabinets or not been walked on. Those bits are as good as new.

"We find the best bits, clean them up and sell them to groups that cannot afford to buy new carpets. A percentage of it is given away to social housing.

"If we can sell just 30 per cent of the carpet we can cover our running costs. Some bits which we cannot re-use we give to recycling companies and about 15 per cent ends up in landfill."

Since Pennine Magpie started, it has sorted through 50,000 square metres of carpet.

It hopes to increase the total amount handled to 250,000 square metres per year, with the help of new equipment and trainees.

Between 25 to 30 per cent of the carpet is sold to interested groups. The rest is given away to charitable organisations and social housing.

Over the next three years, the Interface project aims to recycle 500 tonnes of carpet tiles.