Sep 21 - Less than 4% of Carpet Recycled in California Annually

Carpet comprises 3.2 percent of all waste disposed in California. In 2008, California disposes of 1.3 million tons of carpet annually. At an average disposal cost of $40 per ton, California taxpayers and garbage ratepayers pay $52,000,000 per year to dispose of carpet!

Carpet is bulky and never breaks down in landfills. It has the 4th highest potential for carbon reduction. Recycling this material would save over 9 million metric tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere, while reducing landfill disposal.

AB 2398 by Assembly Member John Perez, currently on the Governor's Desk, is a measure that will :

  • Achieve reduction in greenhouse gas.
  • Create green jobs in collection and recycling of carpet.
  • Requires manufacturers to take responsibility for establishing and financing a safe and reliable system for the recovery and proper management of carpet.
  • Reduce the financial burden on local governments and protect the environment. Manufacturer-run program would have end-of-life management costs far lower than a patchwork of local government programs.
  • Provide market development by requiring state agencies to buy carpet with recycled content.

Take Action! Send a support letter, requesting the Governor's signature on the bill.

Lanh Nguyen