carpet tile

CARE Working with C&D Pros on Carpet Reuse

June 25, 2026

pallets of carpet tile from tear-out in commercial building

CARE has worked to bring to fruition several recent projects aimed at collecting commercial carpet tile for reuse. In April, 56,900 square feet of commercial carpet (12 pallets) was collected from two buildings in downtown San Francisco, in coordination with Columbia Property Trust and general contractors Richlen Construction and GCI General Contractors. The tile was transported to Repurpose Earth, a women-owned company based in Gardena with a collection point in Union City, and taken for reuse by local community organizations.

“Reuse is an important part of the waste hierarchy,” noted California Program Co-Director Rob Thiess. “The amount of carpet reused in California has soared to 3.56 million pounds in 2025; an over 300% increase since 2021. We hope to continue to grow this number by raising awareness about the reuse option, particularly in the commercial sector.” Carpet tile that is collected is cleaned, graded, and then distributed through a variety of channels, including nonprofit organizations such as churches, shelters, community organizations, and other entities that can benefit from reusable materials, giving the carpet tile a second life in the built environment.

Many carpet mills offer free takeback programs to capture their products for reuse and recycling. In addition, commercial broadloom or carpet tile jobs of more than 5,000 square yards may be eligible for CARE’s free takeback program. Please complete the Project Takeback form to request a takeback. Contact Rob Thiess with questions.

CARE Facilitates Commercial Carpet Tile Reuse

November 14, 2025

Finding outlets for used commercial carpet tile has been challenging, but progress is being made. The first best destination for used carpet is reuse, and CARE’s California Carpet Stewardship Program played a part in a recent reuse project that can serve as a model for deconstruction projects in the state and beyond.

Finding a New Home for Used Carpet

For the deconstruction of offices on California Street in downtown San Francisco, the global architectural firm Gensler partnered with general contractor Novo Construction to explore the reuse process and opportunities for the 5,500 pounds of carpet that was being removed.

CARE project consultant and carpet industry veteran Teddy Stray explained, “We have found that working one-on-one with general contractors and building owners is the best way to reach lasting solutions for commercial carpet reuse. It takes cooperation and collaboration among property owners, contractors, architects and recyclers, but the effort is worth it!”

Marcus Hopper, Project Director at Gensler noted, “Gensler has long been a proponent of material reuse, and Novo Construction proved to be a great partner for the project, adopting a solution-oriented approach from the very beginning.”

Novo Construction Project Manager Gene Au said, “A challenge we overcame was where to palletize the carpet. Our elevator was just a tad too small, so we worked with Columbia to find a lay-down area where we could palletize the carpet for pick up.”

Repurpose Earth, a company with carpet tile collection hubs in southern California and the Bay Area, delivered the tear-out carpet to a local charity for reuse. Read more about their work in this case study.

The Work Continues

Property owner Columbia Property Trust was pleased to facilitate the reuse of the carpet. Project Manager Michael Huang of Columbia Property Trust noted, “Columbia Property Trust has long been an advocate for sustainable practices, and we’ve been exploring opportunities to incorporate these principles into our construction standards. Through our evaluation, we found that the cost difference between demolition and disposal fees versus the labor required to prep and palletize salvaged carpet products is minimal. As a result, Columbia has decided to partner with CARE and implement this waste diversion program across all projects on Columbia properties throughout the Bay Area.”

CARE continues to connect construction projects with reuse and recycling outlets. In 2024, the California program achieved 2.9 million pounds of reuse, up some 350% from 2021. The California Program is on track to meet the Five-Year Plan’s reuse goal of 2% of Recycled Output in 2025.

At the end of the project, the CARE team provided a certificate outlining project information and savings statistics.

Commercial broadloom or carpet tile jobs of more than 5,000 square yards may be eligible for the California Carpet Stewardship Program’s free takeback program. Please complete the Project Takeback form to request a takeback. Contact California Carpet Stewardship Program co-Director Rob Thiess with questions.

CARE Connects Commercial Jobs with Reuse Opportunities

February 18, 2025

Workers remove carpet tile destined for reuse.

While presenting at a conference of sustainable construction leaders last fall, CARE Market Development Manager Rob Thiess learned about ANEW – a woman-founded and led nonprofit that for 20 years has been working with companies to steward surplus office furniture and other items back into their communities and away from landfill. Based in Los Angeles with a presence across the country, ANEW finds reuse options for much of what is left behind by long-term renters and building owners. Rob reached out and in November, Rose Tourje from ANEW contacted Rob about a large project for a multi-national manufacturer located in El Segundo, California.

Due to a brand makeover, 12 floors of Interface’s PVC-backed tile (an estimated 100,000 square feet) in good condition was to be removed in six phases. Rob connected ANEW with Repurpose Earth, a business focused on finding reuse opportunities for carpet tile. The tear-out was tricky: people were still working on the floors where demolition was happening, and there was almost no storage space. CARE provided guidance on the proper collection process for the carpet tiles, which were stacked, strapped, and wrapped, and worked with Repurpose Earth to identify reuse options and outlets. Phase One of the project was completed in December and resulted in eleven pallets of carpet tile, weighing almost 17,000 pounds, being sent to two churches for reuse. Phase Two is set for this month.

The California Carpet Stewardship Program continues to work to increase the amount of commercial carpet that is reused and recycled. Commercial broadloom or carpet tile jobs of more than 5,000 square yards may be eligible for our free takeback program. Please complete the Project Takeback form to request a takeback. Contact Rob Thiess with questions.

Reuse Stories: CARE Helps Divert Carpet Tile to School

August 27, 2024

When a large company in Southern California recently changed their logo, they needed to refresh their offices’ 3,000 square yards of flooring to reflect their new brand colors. Denise Tamez, the Milliken account manager who had worked on the original installation, wanted to find a good home for that lightly used carpet tile. She worked with the San Diego Office of Education to locate a school district in need and found a school in Alpine, a small town in the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego County.

CARE worked to facilitate this project and was able to place a container on the site of the company where the tiles were replaced. Then CARE transported the container to Alpine, where the carpet was offloaded at the school. This carpet was kept out of the landfill and is now installed in 20 classrooms, a multi-purpose room and the administrative office of Creekside Early Learning Center in Alpine.

Learn more about carpet reuse.

Grantee Case Study: Carpet Tile Reuse – A Win/Win Business

November 30, 2023

Project Description

woman with carpet tile — Repurpose Earth’s Andrea Poventud with carpet tile headed for reuse.

Used carpet tile can have a useful second life but is often overlooked due to the lack of secondary outlets and the amount of labor required to sort and transport the tile. Before founding Repurpose Earth, mother/daughter team Angie and Andrea Poventud were assisting underserved populations in Wisconsin to secure health insurance. In the same spirit of generosity, the pair is now collecting carpet tile from commercial job sites and redistributing it to disadvantaged communities.

Repurpose Earth collects carpet tile from area construction projects along with attic stock or overages. They sort and clean the tile before donating it. About 5% of the carpet tile is too heavily soiled with glue or dirt to be reused; that tile is sorted by backing for possible recycling.

Repurpose Earth has a seven-pallet minimum for pickup in the LA area, but anyone can make an appointment to drop at their warehouse in Englewood, across from SoFi Stadium. Projects outside of the LA area are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Project Timeline: December 2022-December 2023

Location: Inglewood, CA

Grant Amount and Match: $15,000 grant; $3,000 match

“The CARE grant REALLY helped us out so we can help others. We’re so grateful.” Angie Poventud, Repurpose Earth

Implementation Process

Repurpose Earth’s aim is to grow its Los Angeles-based efforts to divert additional post-industrial (tear out) carpet tile to various organizations serving people who need help. Repurpose Earth received a $15,000 grant to purchase a used propane forklift, strapping equipment and an electric pallet jack to enable more efficient sorting and transporting of carpet tile. The equipment was purchased locally and was easy to procure.

Project Challenges

The current slowdown in the commercial real estate market means less remodeling, which makes it challenging to access used carpet tile. The new equipment will make it easier to expand beyond the greater Los Angeles area. Project managers tearing out carpet tile are encouraged to contact Repurpose Earth to ensure that their old carpet is put to good use.

Project Benefits and Outcomes

Repurpose Earth has repurposed about 730,000 pounds of carpet tile so far in 2023 (as of October.) The equipment enabled the company to increase collection and redistribution while planning for future growth. Local underserved community benefited from the donated carpet tile.

This is one of a series of case studies that illustrate the impact and logistics of grant funding on the carpet recycling industry in California.