This month CARE awarded over $1.1 million in Cycle 3A of its Capital Improvement Grant Program, which provides funding for capital improvements that will establish, increase, improve and enhance additional California generated post-consumer carpet (PCC) reuse, recycling and/or utilization of recycled content product manufacturing.
Cycle 3A grantees who have signed contracts and received their notice to proceed with new projects are:
- Circular Polymers, Lincoln, CA: $325,000 for infrastructure and equipment to significantly expand processing capacity.
- LA Fiber, Los Angeles, CA: $500,000 for a new dust collection and Post-Consumer Carpet Calcium Carbonate (PC4) processing system in order to significantly expand processing capacity.
- Visions Environmental, Oroville, CA: $290,000 to add capital equipment to expand the company’s capacity to manufacture end-use products in the building and construction industries using calcium carbonate.
These projects anticipate adding approximately 21 million pounds in recycled output capacity and at least 1.7 million pounds in manufactured output capacity in 2019.
CARE may add more funds to Cycle 3A in 2019 and will continue to accept applications for capital projects through 2019. For more information, contact Abbie Beane, CARE grants manager, at abeane@carpetrecovery.org; for more see the CARE grants webpage.
Building on Previous Cycles’ Success
In just its first two cycles, the CARE grants program has awarded $5.9 million to eight organizations in Cycle 1 and to 18 organizations in Cycle 2. Grant amounts ranging from $15,000 micro grants to $500,000 capital improvement grants support improved carpet collection, new product and application testing, and major infrastructure and equipment purchases. These investments are expected to help the recycled output rate rise to meet the goal of 24% by January 1, 2020.
Results from earlier grant cycles are summarized here.