Contact: Anthony Cline, Carpet America Recovery Effort (706) 428-2127

San Diego, CA (April 26, 2012) – According to the Annual Report released this week by the Carpet America Recovery Effort, CARE members diverted 333 million pounds of carpet from the landfill in 2011, a decrease of approximately one percent versus 2010. In contrast, the non-profit carpet recycling group increased its membership to over 400, a 17 percent gain. Of the carpet diverted, 250 million pounds were recycled back into carpet and other consumer products. To date, CARE members have kept 2.3 billion pounds of waste carpet out of landfills since CARE was founded in 2002.

These results were presented at the organization’s Tenth Annual Conference held April 25 through April 27 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, California.

Other milestones for CARE in the past year include:

• Development of a more accurate formula for calculating diversion and recycling rates based on actual carpet sales in the U.S.
• The CARE Board of Directors introduced updated its mission, vision, and core values statements, as part of the process of completing the original MOU 2002 and moving onto CARE’s next chapter of growth.
• Creation of the CARE Certified Collectors Program. Launched at the 2011 Annual Meeting, there are currently 75 certified collectors listed on the CARE website.
• Creation of CARE Marketplace buying group offering significant discounts to CARE members on office supplies and equipment.

In addition, 2011 was the first year CARE served as the stewardship organization for California’s AB 2398 carpet recycling law. During the reporting period of July 1 through December 31, CARE reports that in California:

• 80 carpet manufacturers participated in the CARE Stewardship Plan.
• 385 million pounds of post-consumer carpet were discarded; of that amount, 60 million pounds were diverted from landfill and 36 million pounds were recycled.
• The diversion rate for carpet was 15 percent, four percent higher than in 2010.
• Qualified processors received $703,454 in payments.

CARE Executive Director Georgina Sikorski said, “While CARE members did not see growth in carpet diversion or recycling in 2011 versus 2010, the results were excellent, in light of weaker demand for recycled material both internationally and within the US. CARE members continue to invest and expand their facilities in anticipation of future growth and demand for new products made with post-consumer recycled content.”