For decades, the Golden State has spearheaded effective recycling programs for bottles, cans, paper, used oil, tires, batteries and mattresses. Californians want to be conscious consumers and now there is a robust infrastructure in place to help our environment by recycling carpet.
It’s easy to do your part and help California by recycling your old carpeting.
When ready to purchase, look for products with recycled carpet content.
Ask your contractor or installer to recycle your old carpet.
Connect with your city or county and ask about local carpet recycling drop-off sites.
If you are a carpet installation professional, please watch this brief tutorial to learn how you can get involved in California’s carpet recycling efforts.
Yes. California is home to more than 50 carpet recycling drop-off locations that will gladly accept your old carpets.
A variety of products can be manufactured from post-consumer recycled carpet, including carpet cushioning, building insulation, decking, water management products, wheelchair ramps and more. For a full list of products made from recycled carpets, click here.
Yes. In 2010, the state legislature enacted Assembly Bill 2398 to increase the diversion and recycling of carpet in the state and established the California’s Carpet Stewardship Program.
This program is managed and implemented by the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) – an industry-led nonprofit organization incharge of increasing recycling rates.
As of 2019, California's carpet recycling program continues to thrive thanks to CARE's oversight. Their multi-pronged approach includes:
installer and retailer outreach and training;
consumer and local government education;
and subsidies and grants to recyclers to support collection, equipment and product testing.
CARE directly oversees California’s effort to increase carpet recycling rates by providing recycling infrastructure, diversion programs and grants for the creation of new recycled-content products. For more information, visit CARE's website.
Since CARE’s inception in 2011, more than 431 million pounds of carpet has been diverted from California landfills and repurposed to create a wide array of products.
Carpet assessment fees help fund subsidies for carpet recyclers and processors, provide investments for recycling infrastructure and expand the scale and technology of carpet drop-off sites. To date, the California Carpet Stewardship Assessment has allocated more than $7 million in grants and more than $45 million in subsidies.