Dalton, GA – Differential assessments currently charged on all carpet sold in California will increase on January 1, 2024. California law requires CARE, as the carpet stewardship organization for the state, to implement a differential assessment on each square yard of carpet sold that reflects its cost burden to recycle. The assessment increase was requested by CARE on September 30 and approved by CalRecycle on November 17. Carpet retailers in California should prepare now for the increase that will go into effect on January 1^st.

CARE’s differential assessment plan is based on two factors: 1) carpet material, as in broadloom vs. tile, and 2) percent of post-consumer content, as in greater than or equal to 10 percent post-consumer content, and less than 10 percent post-consumer content. The new assessment amounts will replace the current amounts that went into effect on April 1, 2023:

• Broadloom with greater than or equal to 10% post-consumer carpet rises from 56 to 68 cents/square yard.
• Broadloom with less than 10% post-consumer carpet rises from 58 to 70 cents/square yard, a 21% increase.
• Carpet tile with greater than or equal to 10% post-consumer carpet rises from 71 to 97 cents cents/square yard.
• Carpet tile with less than 10% post-consumer carpet rises from 73 to 99 cents/square yard, a 36% increase.

“We recognize that this assessment increase undoubtedly is a serious burden for the nearly 2,000 California carpet retailers and the 84 carpet mills with operations and sales in the state,” noted CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples. “This assessment increase is needed to meet the minimum reserve fund balance by the end of 2025, as required by CalRecycle in CARE’s new Plan. This comes at a time when the California Program has achieved remarkable results in terms of carpet collection and recycling; the assessment increase is necessary to continue the progress and to meet the challenging goals for the Program that have been set by CalRecycle.” The Program attained a record 33.9% recycling rate in 2022 and typically recycles approximately 79% of carpet collected.

Carpet retailers in the state are advised to begin preparing immediately for the point of purchase changes that will be needed to collect the correct, updated assessment from customers. Carpet mills are responsible for advising retailers on which products qualify in terms of post-consumer content. CARE will continue to supply point of purchase material as well as training support materials for sales staff. Retailers are encouraged to visit the CARE website for the latest developments.

The California carpet stewardship legislation (AB 2398, 1159 and 729) is designed to find ways to incentivize the growth of carpet reclamation and recycling and still allow the market to work. The law (AB 2398) generates funding to meet its stated goals through the assessment on all carpet sold in California. California consumers pay the assessment when they buy carpet. Those monies then support CARE’s efforts, including subsidies paid to recyclers, grants to expand capacity and collection, technical assistance, market development and outreach to increase carpet recycling in California.

About Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)

Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a voluntary, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the landfill diversion, reuse and recycling of waste carpet through market-based solutions that benefit the economy as well as the environment.

CARE serves as the Carpet Stewardship Organization for the State of California, which has collected and recycled over 600 million pounds of carpet in the state since the California Carpet Stewardship Program began in 2011. That is equivalent to the weight of 15,000 garbage trucks kept out of California landfills. CARE members include independent carpet recyclers, carpet manufacturers, dealers, retailers and suppliers, and non-governmental organizations.

For more information, visit CarpetRecovery.org.

Carpet America Recovery Effort | CarpetRecovery.org | View as Webpage

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