Carpet America Recovery Effort

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

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“Carpet Recycling Comes of Age” at 18th Annual Conference in May 2020

Stakeholders to Discuss Innovation, Industry Maturity in Portland, OR

Dalton, GA – Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) will hold its 18th Annual Conference on May 12-13, 2020 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon. The theme of the Conference, “Carpet Recycling Comes of Age,” illustrates an industry that is maturing while making exciting progress in landfill diversion and market development.

“I have been more excited in the last several months than at any time in the last 18 years about the possibilities for our industry,” notes CARE Executive Director Robert Peoples. “Major changes are underway in terms of capacity expansion, two new West Coast processors, renewed interest in reuse, and at least two major new outlets for PET. We are moving from a startup industry to, for the first time, a sophisticated business-driven industry where we have real specifications, real supply chain contracts. CARE and the carpet recycling industry are about to grow up – and that’s very exciting.”

The Conference will feature expert speakers from PLASTICS (the Plastics Industry Association) along with collectors, processors and manufacturers from around the country discussing developments in chemical recycling, EPR, and the circular economy. Participants will interact with long-time recyclers along with entrepreneurs who are pushing the envelope of carpet recycling technology. Sessions will be of interest to equipment suppliers as well as those interested in feedstocks; nylon 6, nylon 66, polypropylene, polyester or Triexta (polytrimethylene terephthalate). There will be ample time for networking along with the traditional awards dinner.

Registration for the Conference is open now; Early Bird rates are in effect through February 28. Register here.

View Agenda here.

About Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)

Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a voluntary, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the landfill diversion, reuse, and recycling of waste carpet, through market-based solutions that benefit the economy as well as the environment.

Since 2002, CARE has diverted more than 5 billion pounds of carpet from landfills in the United States and promoted the use and development of products containing materials derived from carpet. CARE members include independent carpet recyclers, carpet manufacturers, dealers, retailers and suppliers, and non-governmental organizations. For more information about CARE, visit www.carpetrecovery.org.

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CARE California Program Q2 2019 Quarterly Results

The presentation below shows the latest quarterly results for the California Carpet Stewardship Program,  which show  the highest recycled output and recycling rate to date. The recycling rate was 18.4% which continues the steady climb toward our goal of 24%. Recycled output jumped more than 8% over previous high in Q2 2018 to 15.1 million pounds. CARE has delivered steady, continuous and meaningful progress and growth since Q1 of 2016 despite all the challenges faced in the marketplace.

 

CARE Submits Documents to Address CalRecycle’s Requirements of Stewardship Plan

By September 1, 2019*, CARE submitted the following documents per the requirements put forward by CalRecycle as conditions for approval of the California Carpet Stewardship Plan 2018-22.

Please note that these documents are not yet fully formatted for accessibility. CARE is working to further fine tune and convert them for full accessibility compliance.

* September 3rd due to Labor Day holiday

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.

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