Carpet America Recovery Effort's (CARE) California Carpet Stewardship Program has formally signed contracts to distribute approximately $2 million in grant funding for six capital improvement and three product testing projects, with 85% of funding allocated for California-based projects.

In total, the award funding will result in millions of pounds of recycled California-generated post-consumer carpet (PCC) output and tens of new California jobs by the end of the year. 

The grant funding supports capital investment, infrastructure and/or equipment that will process or manufacture products utilizing California-generated post-consumer carpet (PCC), as well as product testing and research and development activities that investigate the use of PCC to manufacture established products, test or certify new or reformulated products and/or feasibility studies on potential new uses of PCC. 

Awarded projects represent a significant expansion in California PCC capacity through enhanced or improved operations at one existing California facility, the support of one out of state pilot using California PCC with potential for in-state operations in future years and the establishment of four new PCC operations in California (200% increase in the number of California PCC facilities). 

Grantees and a description of their projects are:

• American Fiber Cushion, Dalton, awarded $250,000 (Cycle 1A): American Fiber Cushion has committed to working with California carpet recyclers to process and ship California PCC recycled output fibers to its existing Georgia facility to be remanufactured into new Tier II (no further processing needed for sale to end consumer) recycled products for resale. The company intends to use this project as a pilot operation for a future PCC processing facility in California.

• Carpet Solutions, Carson, Calif., awarded $375,000 (Cycle 1A): Through the installation of cleaning and pelletizing machines, Carpet Solutions will improve the quality of post-consumer Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 carpet fiber processed at its existing California based facility. The improved carpet fiber will fill a current market gap for the availability of clean, nylon fiber, suitable for pelletizing and use in Tier II manufacturing processes.

• Carpet Solutions, Carson, Calif., awarded $24,000 (Cycle 1B): This testing project will conduct sample testing of a 100% post-consumer carpet nylon chair that is manufactured using California PCC nylon recycled output, to diversify secondary use opportunities for recycled nylon feedstock. Chairs will undergo testing to qualify the new recycled product for marketing and sale in the U.S. 

• CLEAR, Lake Villa, Ill., awarded $350,000 (Cycle 1A): CLEAR is building a new facility in Lincoln, CA to manufacture products containing post-consumer carpet. The project will recycle carpet fiber into pellets for existing products such as shelves, toolboxes, pallets and other products and use calcium carbonate for concrete forms. 

• GHD, Santa Rosa, Calif., awarded $133,984 (Cycle 1B): The purpose of this testing project, in partnership with Humboldt State University Environmental Resource Engineering (ERE) Department, is to help determine the feasibility of using PET carpet fiber for civil engineering applications such as lightweight fill, infiltration media and erosion control. This project includes testing of Shredded Waste Carpet to define its beneficial properties as a construction material.

• SafePath Products, Chico, Calif., awarded $462,000 (Cycle 1A): SafePath Products will develop a new Tier II facility in Northern California that will use fiber and calcium carbonate as an additive in several existing products along with other engineering applications still being tested.

• Sierra Rubber Company, Ripon, Calif., awarded $108,000 (Cycle 1A): The purpose of this project is to purchase equipment necessary to expand new and existing product lines using recycled carpet components and calcium carbonate in particular, blended with recycled rubber. Sierra Rubber Company will become a new California processor of PCC.

• South Bend Modern Molding, Mishaka, Ind., awarded $50,000 (Cycle 1B): This testing project will test various combinations of PCC components (primarily nylon, PET and CaCO3) with recycled rubber and plastics for various properties necessary for finished products, as well as perform tests on a large application sound barrier that utilizes PCC. 

• XT Green, Irvine, Calif., awarded $250,000 (Cycle 1A): Grant funds help support the construction of a new, advanced technology carpet recycling facility in Southern California. Operating under the name of EarthCare Carpet Recycling, the facility's processing system was developed by XT Green to produce highest quality reclaimed nylon, polypropylene and calcium carbonate for use in manufacturing in California while also designed for record recycling rates, greenhouse gas reduction benefits and worker health protection standards. 

For more information, visit carpetrecovery.org.