California Agency Oks Incentive Hikes to Increase Carpet Recycling

A California recycling agency has agreed to a plan to increase funding for its carpet recycling product stewardship plan to bolster carpet recycling in the state.

The California Department of Resources Recycling And Recovery (CalRecycle) is allowing the Carpet America Recovery Effort, or CARE, the administrator of the state’s carpet stewardship program, to increase incentive payments, the agency said in a news release.

CalRecycle determined CARE to be out of compliance with its stewardship plan, as the state carpet recycling rate hasn’t exceeded 13 percent although the goal is 16 percent by 2016 and 24 percent by 2020.

The department is allowing CARE to make amendments to its plan, increasing the incentive payments for specific carpet material. CARE issues per-pound incentive payments to processors and recyclers of used carpet. The payments are funded through an assessment added to the purchase of new carpet.

CARE also amended the program to include new incentive payments for material not covered in the program before, such as calcium carbonate, which is part of carpet backing, and for carpet tiles.

To pay for the increases, the carpet stewardship assessment that retail customers pay with new carpet purchases will increase to 10 cents per square yard from 5 cents. The new assessment will add about $5 to the cost of carpeting in an average home.

CalRecycle will re-evaluate the program’s performance this July.

“We’re pleased CARE is taking further action to increase our state’s carpet recycling efforts,” CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen said. “As we work toward California’s statewide goal of 75 percent recycling by 2020, we will continually evaluate all proven and promising initiatives to help get us there.”