Industry organization CARE has launched a new device to identify carpet fibers and simplify sorting for recycling.
The CarpeTell scanner from the non-profit Carpet America Recovery Effort can quickly and accurately identify all contemporary yarn fibers and blends used in floor coverings to enable sorting, by post-consumer carpet recyclers, post-industrial materials recyclers and nylon compounders. The identification library also can accommodate additional fibers and blends as they are introduced to the marketplace.
In 2021 CARE learned that the widely used microPHAZIR device would be discontinued, according to a press release. After extensive research and development, carpet industry veteran Frank Endrenyi and CARE collaborated with Matoha, a UK company with experience with near-infrared ID Technology in the textile and plastics industries.
The CARE board soon allocated funds for an ergonomic redesign to optimize the device for the needs of carpet recyclers. Endrenyi worked with Matoha for two years to refine the device’s technology and design.
Matoha developed AI algorithms specifically for carpet material identification in recycling environments, with support from CARE, said Darlene Sammut, COO of Matoha.
CARE said the CarpeTell provides identification in less than half a second, helping to improve sorting efficiency. A removable, rechargeable battery can last 10 hours or more and the unit weighs 12 ounces. The device requires a small monthly charge for software and library updates, the release said.
CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples said, “This refined device is a vital tool in our efforts to boost carpet recycling in California and across the country and CARE is proud to have supported its development. With carpet extended producer responsibility legislation active in California, and coming in the future in New York, this device will become essential for efficient sorting as carpet recycling laws go into effect. The CarpeTell makes the previously time-consuming and labor-intensive job of fiber identification instantaneous, accurate, easier and cost-effective.”
Since 2002, CARE has diverted more than five billion pounds of carpet from US landfills and promoted the use and development of products containing materials derived from carpet. CARE members include independent carpet recyclers, carpet manufacturers, dealers, retailers and suppliers and non-governmental organizations.
