Carpet America Recovery Effort

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

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California Carpet Stewardship Program Results, Q2 2020: Holding On in Face of COVID

CARE has released California Stewardship Program results for Q2 2020. Despite the major impact of COVID-19 in Q2, the overall recycling rate held at 19.8%, essentially flat from Q1’s 19.9%. Calculation of the recycling rate is driven by both recycled output and sales of new carpet. Sales of new carpet were down to 14.4M square yards – an historic low. This follows an already weaker than expected Q1. Both recycled output and sales were down approximately 16%.

CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples noted “While the recycled output is a significant drop, it is actually better than expected, given the economic shutdown in key markets. According to CARE’s forecast, it looks like Q3 will show the beginning of a slow recovery. In addition, one major capacity project is expected to come online.”

Recycling Progress: CARE California Program 2019 Annual Report

annual report cover showing billboard promoting carpet recycling in SacramentoAt a time of immense strain on recycling efforts across the country, carpet recycling in California saw significant progress in 2019, according to the just-released California Carpet Stewardship Program 2019 Annual Report. While the overall California materials recycling rate has been on the decline since 2014, the California carpet recycling rate is up 58% in the same period. In addition, CARE’s prompt and multi-faceted COVID-19 Action Plan has provided critical support to the industry as it faces the economic and operational challenges of 2020.
According to the California Carpet Stewardship Program’s 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.
The 70% recycling rate, or yield, has grown significantly over the life of the program due to investments in product testing and processing capacity, growth in markets for post-consumer carpet materials and various technological advances.

 

Through subsidies, grants and technical assistance, CARE supports increased collection and processing of carpet into products containing recycled carpet material. Twenty-five vendors currently incorporate carpet in 77 products for the automotive, construction and other industries.

 

CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples notes, “2019 was a banner year for the carpet recycling industry in California. Rising recycling rates, exciting technological innovations such as chemical recycling, growing markets and improved efficiency led to our most optimistic outlook in years. We are facing the challenges of 2020 with new determination and see encouraging signs. We actually did better in the second quarter – during maximum shelter-in-place orders – and now believe we are moving in the right direction for the second half of 2020. Feedback from the recycling community indicates the COVID-19 Action Plan has made a major difference in cash flow and their ability to continue to operate.”

 

Extensive COVID-19 Action Plan Preserves Recyclers
Beginning in March 2020, CARE’s oversight committee approved a series of emergency actions to support and assist the California carpet recycling industry as effects of the pandemic threatened the industry’s survival. Actions included extraordinary payments to recyclers in March and June, along with increased subsidy payments to recyclers, an accelerated payment schedule and relaxed reporting and proposed loan payment requirements. A total of $1.6 million has been provided to 15 recyclers, easing the pressure and allowing businesses to focus core efforts around collection and processing.

 

CA Wildfires: Carpet Recycling Transport Service Announcement

Our hearts go out to those who have been injured and/or displaced by the current stream of Wildfires across our beautiful state.  We are keeping a close eye on the areas impacted by evacuation zones as well as in the direct paths of fire. We are grateful for the efforts of all firefighters and response crews battling these blazes and wish them a safe return to their families. Our partners and their respective communities are a vital part of our program and their safety and well-being is of the utmost importance to us.

As a result of closely monitoring fire/weather/evacuation routes, we may choose to postpone a scheduled container swap service if the environment is not deemed safe.  This may include a danger present at the site itself, or to reduce the amount of traffic congestion in a designated evacuation area.

As these areas begin to recover and fire remediation processes begin, we’d like to remind all of our Drop Off Sites that we are unable to accept any post-consumer carpet material that has experienced fire damage including smoke contamination.   This material should be sent to landfill and not included in CARE collection units.

We appreciate your understanding and will do all we can to support our sites during these trying times.

Most importantly, stay safe.

Your CARE California Team

Capital and Testing Grantees Announced

September 2020 Update

CARE’s California Carpet Stewardship Program has awarded two additional Capital Improvement Grants under Cycle 4A, and three Micro Grants for Collection and Reuse, labeled Cycle 3M. (See previously awarded grants below.) The Cycle 4A grants total $334,952, and the Cycle 3M grants total $38,234. 
The capital projects are expected to result in an additional 12 million pounds of California PCC collections through September 30, 2021 and the micro projects are expected to result in an additional 900,000 pounds of California post-consumer carpet collection through June 30, 2021.
Cycle 4A
Green Waste Carpet Recycling, San Jose, CA: Investment in equipment to expand collection of new California-sourced PCC pounds. This project includes piloting a collection strategy for small retailers ($70,952).
Hayward Transfer Station, Hayward, CA: Investment in equipment to expand collection of new California-sourced PCC pounds ($264,000).
Cycle 3M
916 Floors, Roseville, CA: Funds the purchase of a specialized trailer that will allow flooring contractors to source-separate PCC at job sites and haul it directly to a recycler ($15,000).
Bay Counties SMaRT, Sunnyvale, CA: Funds the purchase of a 40-yard roll-off container with a lid for this CARE drop-off site to collect and keep PCC dry year-round for self-hauling to a recycler ($10,234).
Quality Floor Removal, Roseville, CA: Funds the purchase of a specialized trailer that will allow flooring contractors to source-separate PCC at job sites and haul it directly to a recycler ($13,000).
CARE may re-release grant funds for capital improvements and/or post-consumer carpet (PCC) collection projects during the fall. CARE’s Cycle 3M will remain open to California-based projects, which may apply for up to $15,000 through 2020.

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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.

Learn more on our Grants page.

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.

 

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