The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is forging ahead with its mission to increase the landfill diversion and recycling of post-consumer carpet. CARE’s new Five-Year Plan, which was fully approved by CalRecycle earlier this year, allows the organization to continue to support the carpet recycling industry in California in an effort to keep more carpet out of landfills, create jobs and promote more products made with recycled carpet, says executive director Bob Peoples.
It’s a positive year for the organization, says Peoples, and CARE is working diligently to meet all requirements and to hit the 24% statutory recycling rate by January 1, 2020. “Things are starting to move finally after several years of stagnant times,” said Peoples. “We are starting to get some movement, which is exciting. There’s a lot of attention with all the plastic waste around the world and marine plastic. That’s causing the people that are on the frontlines that make that stuff, especially around packing, to stop and say we have to own this. We have to do something about it.”