CARE is Carpet America Recovery Effort, it is a state-created organization to organize the recycling effort. They have implemented a mandatory tax on all new carpet sold in the state to have a charge (currently $.25 sy) because they are assuming you are taking up space in a landfill for the carpet you are taking OUT. As of now they are only taxing on new carpet sales, so if you purchase hard surface flooring you don?t have to pay this nominal fee. The Carpet Stewardship Assessment Fee started out $.05 sy and is set to go up to $.38 sy in 2019. This money is going directly to the efforts to mobilize more recycling centers in California.
The demand and pricing for PCC (polyester carpet is primarily fiber of the old carpets that are now being recycled) has collapsed in recent years with the cheap oil and gas resulting from the boom in fracking, influenced by the auto industry, and the growing availability of the post0industrial feed-stocks. With the pricing of oil way down, and the demand for recycled PCC down with it, there is not enough demand to recycle the old carpets to get the new plants up and running.
We all have the best of intentions to recycle our home waste and not take up room in landfills?.but as of now, there just isn?t the monetary demand to provide us with the recycling option.
Floor Covering Weekly; Carpet: A perfect storm. February 5, 2018.
