- 21.8 Million pounds of carpet collected (+31% vs. Q2)
- 14.3 Million pounds of recycled output (+32% vs. Q2))
- $5.27 Million in subsidy payouts.
Recycling Progress: CARE California Program 2019 Annual Report

- The overall 2019 California recycling rate was 19%, up 27% over 2018. The national carpet recycling rate was 5%.
- 82 million pounds of post-consumer carpet was collected before it could go to landfill.
- 58 million pounds of recycled output was produced (up 18% from 2018).
- Over 70% of all carpet collected was recycled, up from 53% in 2018.
Capital and Testing Grantees Announced
September 2020 Update
&npsp;
From August 2020:
CARE’s California Carpet Stewardship Program has awarded three capital improvement grants, under Cycle 4A, and three product testing grants, under Cycle 3B. The capital improvement grants total $1,260,000 and the testing grants total $240,000.
The grantees are:
Aquafil Group, Phoenix, AZ: Use of densifying system to recycle California-sourced polypropylene material. Awarded $260,000.
Los Angeles Fiber, Vernon, CA: Equipment to enable the processing of commercial broadloom California post-consumer carpet (PCC). Awarded $500,000.
Wellman Advanced Materials, Johnsonville, SC: Recycling of California PA66 commercial PCC using new technology. Awarded $500,000.
GC Products, Lincoln, CA: Testing replacement of silica aggregate with PC4 (carpet backing material) aggregate in architectural products for indoor and outdoor use. Awarded $40,000.
necoPlastics, Columbus, OH: Testing the addition of densified California PCC material to concrete and asphalt. Awarded $100,000.
ReFiber, Sacramento, CA: Continued testing of California PCC in stormwater filtration applications. Awarded $100,000.
The capital projects are expected to produce an additional 17.5 million pounds of recycled California PCC output through the grant term, which ends on September 30, 2021.
CARE expects to approve additional capital improvement grants this month and may re-release grant funds for capital improvements and/or PCC collection projects during the month of September. CARE’s Micro Grants for Collection and Reuse, labeled Cycle 3M, remain open to California-based projects, which may apply for up to $15,000 through 2020.
California Program’s Q1 Results Released
CARE opened 2020 with momentum and great anticipation for expending recycled output, new capacity coming online and new market opportunities for the California Carpet Stewardship Program. However, carpet sales were lower than expected so that the flow of used carpet to recyclers was more difficult to secure. Coupled with ongoing permit delays and the failure of PG&E to deliver on promises to supply power to a new recycling facility, recycled output was down from Q4 2019. The last few weeks of March also saw the initial impacts of the pandemic. Q1 marked the first time since 2015 that we did not see an on-going uptick in the recycling rate.
The full impact of the pandemic will be seen in Q2 and beyond. Efforts in the second quarter are focusing on continued support for recyclers and key stakeholders as they work to rebuild their capacity and move product. Given that demand for output remains strong in several sectors, and the expectation the auto sector will rebound, CARE is still optimistic 2020 will see renewed growth.
See details in the presentation below.
Pandemic Response Action Plan for California Carpet Recyclers
UPDATES:
- The early subsidy payment options currently set to expire will be continued through March 2021
- The additional 2 cents/pound temporary subsidy for collections will be continued through March 2021.
- The enhanced temporary Tier 1 and Tier 2 subsidies enacted in March will be continued through March 2021.
CARE continues to evaluate the pandemic impacts and review the Covid Action Plan on an on-going basis.The COVID-19 impact on both sales of new flooring as well as the carpet recycling community has been significant. According to direct feedback from a stakeholder, CARE’s COVID Action Plan “made a dramatic difference for all of us in the carpet recycling community. The industry stood on the precipice of imploding. The immediate and measured proactive initiatives undertaken by CARE… were not mere handouts, but tactical financial assistance measures that served to ensure market stability.”
COVID Action Plan Update Sent to CalRecycle, December 15, 2020
- The early subsidy payment options currently set to expire will be continued through the end of 2020.
- The additional 2 cent/lb. subsidy for collections currently set to expire will be continued through the end of 2020.
- A subcommittee of the Sustainable Plan Committee has been formed to look at new ways to enable growing collections. CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples notes about the subcommittee’s work: “We know this will be bigger challenge and cost more, but is important as the program continues to expand. We hope to have many new ideas ready for implementation by year-end as we continue to monitor market dynamics.
- Nylon 6 Tier 2 will increase by 15 cents/lb.
- Nylon 66 Tier 2 will increase by 3 cents/lb.
- PET Tier 1 will increase by 5 cents/lb.
- PP Tier 1 will increase by 5 cents/lb.
First Announcement: March 2020
- Issue a one-time payment to each qualified recycler, calculated as the average monthly subsidy received over last 12 months. CARE estimates the one-time payment will total approximately $1.13 million. This payment will not affect the cash reserve.
- Pay 80% of earned subsidies after initial reporting by recyclers (as opposed to the usual 40 to 45 days). The situation will be reassessed after 90 days.
- Monitor retail sales and PCC availability to aid recyclers in planning for dramatically reduced raw material flows.
- Institute an additional temporary $0.02/lb. subsidy for PCC collection for 90 days, effective April 1 (total $0.04/lb.) This adjustment will be in place for 90 days, through the end of June. CARE is not increasing the current approved Plan-based Collector Sorter Entrepreneur subsidy; it is providing a temporary collection incentive to address rapidly changing market conditions.
- Coordinate and communicate with other Product Stewardship groups to identify the best ways to tackle shared challenges.
- Suspend routine audits for 90 days. This applies to all recipients of California subsidy payments and does not suspend the requirement to comply with Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP). The AUP suspension does not apply to mills. CARE will revisit the status in 90 days to determine if a further delay is warranted.
- Designate Recycling as Essential Infrastructure and Essential Businesses.
- Suspend all Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) loan payments(P&I) for 6 months. RMDZ loans are a major debt service requirement for many recyclers, including carpet. This would help with cash flow during the crisis.
- Support action to request that utilities not cut off service to any commercial enterprise for 90 days.
- Work with Governor Newsom’s staff to stop any commercial enterprise eviction actions for 90 days.
See the letter to CalRecycle outlining the action plan here.
# # #