A new era in carpet recycling began this summer at Sierra Mat & Rubber in Modesto, CA, as owner Loren Jessop produced the first commercially-ready products manufactured from two different materials coming out of the California waste stream. Using recycled-tire crumb rubber mixed with post-consumer calcium carbonate from recycled carpet, Sierra Mat is now the first California manufacturer to combine both recycled materials into products combining the best properties of each.
Inclusion of calcium carbonate with recycled rubber makes the product eligible for state agency SABRC credit in the Recycled Tire category. Earlier this year Sierra Mat & Rubber was awarded a CARE Cycle 1A Capital Improvement grant to purchase equipment necessary to expand new and existing product lines using recycled carpet components.
“This is a truly exciting development for recycling in California. By working with Sierra Mat & Rubber, a well-established recycler in the State, they were able to develop the first of its kind Double Green product,” noted CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples. “This development shows that by breaking down industry barriers, creative opportunities are possible.”
“Sierra Mat & Rubber is excited about discovering new uses for a substance that was thought of as waste,” said company owner Loren Jessop. “Modifying our process by replacing some of the crumb rubber content with post-consumer carpet makes the product heavier and more rigid, and stronger overall.”
Pictured are parking lot wheel stops and a floor mat, both now eligible for the CARE Double Green designation, signifying products containing California post-consumer carpet material and at least one other recycled material, both diverted from California landfills.
To learn more about products using recycled carpet material and the Double Green designation, contact Market Development associate Mike Tinney. Sierra is one of several products eligible for CARE’s Recycled Carpet Procurement Grants – learn more here.