September 2022
Q2 Results Strong, But Assessment Will Increase
Q2 2022 California Carpet Stewardship Program results for recycled output and carpet collection were strong. The recycling rate hit 31.7%, slightly below Q1, but well above the 27% target for the year. However, carpet sales are expected to continue to decline in the second half of the year. Increased transportation costs along with the continued COVID Action Plan Subsidies and reduced carpet sales resulted in expenses exceeding assessments collected. As a result, the Program will see an aggressive assessment increase go into effect on January 1, 2023; details are forthcoming, pending CalRecycle’s approval.

New Public Drop-Off Sites Welcomed
As part of CARE’s efforts to increase carpet collection for recycling across the state, CARE is pleased to announce its latest public carpet recycling drop-off sites:

There are currently 111 CARE public drop-off sites in 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.
2021 Annual Report Details Excellent Progress
Carpet recycling saw continued significant progress California in 2021, according to the just-released California Carpet Stewardship Program 2021 Annual Report  which was submitted to CalRecycle on September 1st. In 2021, the Program achieved an all-time annual high Recycling Rate of 27.9%, exceeding the 26% goal set in its Five-Year Plan.
76.4% of all the carpet collected in California in 2021 was recycled into useful new products, exceeding the Program’s goal of 60%. This percentage has grown dramatically over the life of the Program, from just 28% ten years ago, thanks to expanded processing capacity, growing markets for post-consumer carpet materials and technological advances.

According to the California Carpet Stewardship Program’s 2021 Annual Report:
  • 88.5 million pounds of post-consumer carpet was collected across the state.
  • 67 million pounds of recycled output was produced.
  • Over 81 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (MTC02E) was saved.
  • $23.1 million in subsidies was paid to support collectors, processors and manufacturers of recycled carpet material.
  • Over $1.5 million in grant funding was invested in 2021. Since 2017, CARE has paid over $9.5 million to grow carpet recycling via grants for capital improvement, product testing and collection expansion.
Innovation & Design Grants Launched
CARE has launched an Innovation and Design (I&D) Grant Program to improve and enhance California-sourced post-consumer carpet recycling. The I&D grants will provide funding for testing and development activities that create:
  • a more recyclable and environmentally sustainable carpet design and/or
  • secondary PCC content products that are more reusable, recyclable and/or have a decreased environmental footprint.
 
CARE has allocated up to $200,000 total to award to projects in 2022. Individual projects may apply for $10,000 to $100,000 in Cycle I&D funds. Grantees must achieve project completion by March 31, 2024. The program will accept applications through December 31, 2022. Private businesses and non-profit organizations are eligible; colleges, universities and research institutions are encouraged to apply.

Micro Grant Awarded; Cycle Still Accepting Applications
Richmond, CA-based Golden Bear Transfer Station has been awarded a $15,000 CARE micro grant to buy equipment in order to open as a new CARE public drop-off site, thus meeting a convenient collection requirement in Northern California. CARE’s micro grants promote the additional collection and reuse of California post-consumer carpet. Applications are being accepted and reviewed on a continuous basis through 2022.

CARE 2023 Conference: Save the Date!
The 21st CARE Annual Conference will take place on April 25-26, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport Hotel. Registration and schedule details to come.