February 2023
In an all-time record, the California Carpet Stewardship Program achieved a Recycling Rate of 33% for 2022. This achievement far exceeds the 27% goal set in the Program’s Five-Year Plan, and the carpet recycling rate has more than tripled since 2015 (see graph below). This caps a year of outstanding progress for the Program, achieving 131 public carpet recycling drop-off sites in all 58 counties, a 33% jump over 2021 in public drop-off site collections. The public drop-off sites are adding to the 201 private collection sites also operating across the state.

CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples hailed the success in the face of multiple challenges: “Less than two years ago, we were in jeopardy of losing the critical carpet recycling infrastructure that had been built by our hard-working, creative recyclers. As a result of CARE’s Emergency Covid Action Plan implemented in April 2020, the Program not only survived but this amazing growth was made possible.”

Watch your inbox! An e-news Special Issue on CARE’s recent and ongoing accomplishments is coming soon. 
Two Micro Grants Awarded; Cycle Still Open
CARE has awarded $15,000 micro grants to:
  • GreenWaste Carpet Recycling (San Jose) to purchase two new trinamiX fiber identification devices and share information with CARE on their performance in the field. 
  • Repurpose.Earth (Inglewood) to purchase one electric pallet jack and one forklift to create a more efficient and larger tile reuse operation.

Cycle 5M remains open for applications on a continuous basis until further notice. The purpose of the Micro Grants Program for Collection/Reuse – Cycle 5M is to promote the additional collection and reuse of California post-consumer carpet (PCC). The definition of “additional” under this program is PCC that was previously sent to landfill, alternative daily cover, waste-to-energy, kiln or used for carpet-as-alternative-fuel. Cycle 5M funds will be awarded for the infrastructure projects and/or purchase of equipment that supports the operational logistics of properly collecting and/or reusing California PCC under a new or established program. $100,000 is funded annually for Cycle 5M Micro Grants Program for Collection/Reuse. The limit is $15,000 for each grant awarded under this Program.
Tile Collection for Reuse Boosted in SoCal
CARE Product & Market Development Manager Rob Thiess has been working with carpet manufacturer Bentley Mills and Inglewood-based Repurpose.Earth to place containers of varying sizes at large commercial flooring installation projects. The carpet tiles collected by Repurpose.Earth will be separated and graded exclusively for reuse in support of CARE’s Five Year Plan reuse goal. Contact Rob for details or questions.

Pictured: CARE’s Rob Thiess with Repurpose Earth’s Angie and Angela Proventud and Bentley Mills’ Emily Chu and Sandy Kolby, establishing a reuse collection location for post-consume carpet tiles in Southern California.
Google Releases Tile Procurement Standard
Google’s carpet tile procurement program has released new sustainability requirements that could set a standard for other businesses. Included are requirements around third-party certification, circularity, material health and embodied carbon.
New Drop-Off Site Welcomed
CARE welcomes one additional public drop-off site this month:
There are currently 132 CARE public drop-off sites servicing all 58 California counties.

CARE supports drop-off sites by providing at no cost:
  • A container for collection
  • Third-party hauling to transport carpet material to recyclers
  • Promotional materials for local government and the hosting facility
  • Technical assistance from CARE staff
  • Ready access to micro grants that support site set-up and collection equipment/infrastructure.
 
To find the CARE-sponsored drop-off site closest to you, visit the drop-off site map here. If there is a location, such as a supply house, landfill, transfer station or recycling facility that you feel would work well as a drop-off site for you and other flooring professionals near you, please email CARE with the facility's name, location and business phone number. A CARE staff person will call you to discuss your volume, learn more about flooring professionals’ needs in your area and work toward finding a solution.
 
In addition to public drop-off sites, CARE works with the recyclers who operate more than 200 private network collection sites around the state.
NASA Engineer to Speak at Annual Conference
CARE is delighted that Bianca Rhym (pictured), an electrical engineer at NASA, will be a featured speaker at the CARE National Conference, April 25-26 in Orlando, Florida. The theme of the Conference, “Carpet: Feedstock for the Future,” highlights the recent developments in carpet recycling technology and opportunities that are moving carpet out of the waste stream to becoming a valued and sought-after input for manufacturing.