Carpet America Recovery Effort
Developing Market Based Solutions for the Recycling & Reuse of Post-Consumer Carpet
CARE has produced an updated version of the Carpet-Derived Products Catalog containing California-sourced post-consumer carpet. The catalog was distributed at the CARE booth at the GreenBuild conference in Atlanta in November 2019 and mailed to public procurement officials across the state.
See the catalog here or email CA@CarpetRecovery.org to request a copy.
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.
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.
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.
Grants are a valuable investment in growing recycled output as well as the market for products made with post-consumer carpet. This growth is what pulls an increasing volume of carpet into the recycling stream and away from landfills each year. CARE’s grants have had, and continue to have, tremendous impact on the health of the carpet recycling industry; however, it can take months or even years for the full impact of the grants to be realized among carpet recycling stakeholders.
In just its first two cycles, the CARE grants program has awarded $5.9 million to 8 organizations in Cycle 1 and 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.
The first two CARE grant cycles to date have seen significant results:
Cycle 1 Capital Improvement Grants
Cycle 1 Product Testing Grants
Cycle 1 Collection Grants
Cycle 2A Capital Improvement Grants
Cycle 2B Product Testing
Cycle 2M Micro Grants for Collection/Reuse
And, the good news continues: Cycle 3A grants will be announced shortly.
For more information, see:
CARE Awards $3.2 million in Grants to Improve Carpet Recycling
California Grant Cycle 1M Awards Announced
CA Capital Improvement Grant Reallocation Approved
California Grant Programs Bolster 2016 Capital, Recycling and Product Development
CARE’s California Carpet Stewardship Program Awards $2 million in Grants