Initial statistics show that the California Carpet Stewardship Program again made significant progress in 2021. In a Program milestone, the Q4 2021 Recycling Rate was 28.7 percent, which brings the 2021 annual Recycling Rate to 27.9 percent, exceeding the target for the first time. This makes six straight years of recycling rate increases, with an average growth of 27.7 percent per year. Overall collections were up 14 percent in 2021 and CARE’s public Drop-Off Site network collections increased by 25 percent. Recycling efficiency (also known as yield) met the target of 75 percent.
CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples hailed the success, “Despite the on-going COVID disruptions (labor costs and availability, transportation costs, supply chain disruptions, decreasing carpet sales), the carpet recycling program has continued to grow due to the hard work of the recycling community. Expansion plans for new capacity, collections and new markets are on track for 2022. The Program is working well, and growth continues as we begin the process of defining the next Five-Year Plan, which will be submitted in late summer.”
See the full Q4 presentation here: