California carpet recycling fee raise deferred

A decision by California agency CalRecycle means an assessment increase requested by the Georgia-based Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) will not take effect at the start of next year.

“As a result of CalRecycle’s disapproval of CARE’s Five-Year Plan 2023-27, the differential assessment currently charged on all carpet sold in California will not increase on Jan. 1, 2023, as previously announced. The current assessment  levels will remain in effect until further notice," CARE says.

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 assessment is designed to reflect the product’s cost burden to recycle, the group says.

CARE adds that its differential assessment plan is based on two factors: 1) carpet material, as in broadloom vs. tile; and 2) percent of postconsumer content, as in greater than or equal to 10 percent postconsumer content, and less than 10 percent postconsumer content.

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, according to CARE. 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.

CARE says it will submit a revised plan to CalRecycle in mid-January 2023 and will post updates on that effort to its website.