Carpet America Recovery Effort

Developing Market Based Solutions for the Recycling & Reuse of Post-Consumer Carpet

/ Archives for California

In Ground/On Ground Guidelines for Post-Consumer Carpet Material

CARE has drafted guidelines for any use of post-consumer carpet materials that go into an application that involves on-the-ground or in-the-ground usage. Such applications might include equestrian products, water filtration products, soil amendments, etc..

It is important to conduct due diligence with the development of any new product that is being applied to land, or which goes on or in the ground, to ensure that the product provides beneficial performance and no harmful impacts to human health or the environment.

See the guidelines here.

New Video Highlights Projects That Use Recycled PET

CARE has produced a new video that describes exciting developments in the use of recycled PET carpet. The video, The Sustainable Uses of PET Plastic, focuses on civil engineering applications for recycled PET carpet happening right now in California. The video highlights efforts at LA Fiber, Circular Polymers, and Humboldt State University.

The key to a successful carpet recycling program is creating more products that use these materials along with markets to buy them, thus creating demand.  The video will be used as part of CARE’s extensive efforts to promote and encourage new markets and products using recycled carpet material.

$1.1 Million in Cycle 3A Grants Awarded

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.

Stewardship Groups Partner on Media Insert to Inform about Recycling

CARE has partnered with product stewardship groups PaintCare, Mattress Recycling Council and Call2Recycle to create a four-page insert on how to recycle old batteries, mattresses, paint and carpet. Some 2.5 million copies of the insert will appear in 25 newspapers around California during April as part of Earth Month.

The insert is designed to inform Golden State consumers that carpet, paint, mattresses, and batteries can be recycled (though not put in the blue cart!) and to show the products that can be made from the recycled products. It was produced by Sacramento-based SN&R publications.

View the insert

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