Nov. News: Retailer Compliance; New Drop-off Sites...

November 2020

CARE Welcomes New Drop-Off Sites

As part of our efforts to increase carpet collection for recycling across the state, CARE is pleased to announce three new carpet recycling drop-off sites:

CR&R Environmental Services, Colton, San Bernardino County
CR&R Environmental Services, Phelan, San Bernardino County
Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility (NRRWF), Paradise, Butte County

There are currently 82 CARE-supported public drop-off sites in the state, serving 53 counties.

CARE supports drop-off sites by providing at no cost:

A container for collection,
Third-party hauling to bring carpet material to recyclers,
Promotional materials for local government and the hosting facility and
Technical assistance from CARE staff.

To see find the CARE-sponsored drop-off site closest you, visit the drop-off site map here. If there is a location that you feel would be helpful for you and other flooring professionals near you, please email CARE with facility (e.g., supply house, landfill, transfer station, recycling facility) name and location. 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 160 private network collection sites around the state.

Retailer Reminder: Are You in Compliance?

Retailers are required by law to charge the current carpet assessment of 35 cents per square yard to all customers in the state. CalRecycle periodically visits retailers to check current practices. To ensure compliance:

All invoices must have the assessment clearly and correctly labeled as a separate line item. See the approved labels on the CalRecycle website.
Retailers must purchase carpet from carpet manufacturers in compliance with the carpet stewardship law. See the list on the CalRecycle website.
Retailers must retain records for three fiscal years.

Please see the Retailer Compliance section on the CARE website for details.

Kern County Drop-Off Site Promotes Carpet Services

CARE drop-off site Kern Valley Transfer Station alerted local press that they accept carpet and the Kern Valley Sun published the information. The article includes rates charged:

“Residential customers will not be charged a recycling fee. Commercial entities will be charged $45 per ton of carpet with a 50% discount if source-separated.”

All CARE drop-off sites are encouraged to promote their services by:

Listing carpet acceptance details on their website,
Announcing carpet recycling via social media and
Alerting local media that carpet is now accepted for recycling.

CARE provides press and social media content for sites to customize. For any specialized promotion or questions, please email CARE – we are happy to support our drop-off site partners in their carpet recycling promotion efforts.

Quiet-Tech Recycling Receives NSF EPD

CARE member Quiet-Tech Recycling has completed its NSF International Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) following a four-month application process that included a complete life cycle analysis. Quiet-Tech’s acoustic insulation batts are made from 35% recycled carpet from California, along with 45% recycled clothing fibers and 10% PET binder fiber. The product is widely used in both commercial and residential settings.

Quiet-Tech President Sean Ragiel told how the product got started: “The whole impetus began in 2013, when we created an insulation that can use any form of broadloom carpet. Being ‘fiber agnostic’ means that we can take any type of carpet fibers and incorporate it into our products, thus eliminating the need for sorting, which saves time and expense.”

Embodied carbon is coming more into focus as a vital metric as the construction industry reacts to pressure to reduce climate impact. The EPD allows Quiet-Tech to be listed in the Embodied Carbon in Construction (EC3) calculator, which uses third party-verified data to compare the carbon intensity of available materials that meet required specifications.

EPDs may help building projects qualify for points through the LEED v4 in criteria for the Materials and Resources (MR) category and the International Green Construction Code. EPDs are also increasingly required in international markets for consumer and commercial products.

The detailed EPD for Quiet-Tech can be viewed here: http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Sustain/ProdCert/EPD10446.pdf.

CarpetRecovery.org/CA