CA Governor Jerry Brown signed a new carpet recycling bill last week that enhances the state’s current carpet recycling program and requires manufacturers to implement stewardship programs. The bill, AB 1158, establishes and implements clear-cut goals for recycling, a multi-stakeholder council and requiring new state carpet purchases to include a specified amount of post-consumer recycled content.
The bill will help the state reach its target of emitting 40% fewer greenhouse emissions by 2030, writes Waste 360. The bill is the result of collaboration between stakeholders including policy and environmental groups, labor, manufacturers, local government and recyclers, said Assemblymember Kansen Chu (AD 25, Milpitas), who authored the bill.
The bill’s bottom line is that manufacturers must implement a stewardship program that sets a carpet recycling goal of 24% by 2020.
Carpet manufacturer Interface lauds the bill, calling it “a positive step forward in driving a truly circular economy in our industry.” Interface’s own ReEntry carpet recycling take-back program has been in place for two decades, and has been responsible for diverting more than 350 million pounds of materials from landfill in the US alone. ReEntry recycles reclaimed fiber for use in new products and reuses backing materials in the creation of new backing.
Carpet recycling has historically been a challenge due to the many different materials used, along with designs that do not allow for easy separation.