In September, Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), which runs the mandatory end-of-life carpet collection and recycling program under California law, announced it notched a 21% recycling rate in 2020. That was up from 19% in 2019 and is the highest statewide carpet recycling rate on record (see chart). But last year’s number was still short of the 24% California recycling rate required by Jan. 1, 2020 (the 24% target was included in state legislation passed and signed into law in 2017). A report from CARE notes a total of 52.6 million pounds of materials were recycled from post-consumer carpet in 2020, down 10% from the year before, in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers pay a fee of 35 cents per square yard when they buy new carpet in California, and the money funds CARE’s program.
This article appeared in the November 2021 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.