SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): California’s carpet recycling program delivered a strong performance in 2025. The latest annual report from the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) indicates that the statewide carpet recycling rate reached 37% during the year.
According to the 2025 California Carpet Stewardship Program report submitted by CARE to CalRecycle on September 1, the program collected 78.5 million pounds of used carpet across the state during the year. About 86% of the material collected was recycled. Thus the program has successfully kept large volumes of carpet out of landfills.
Carpet reuse also recorded a major increase. Nearly 3.5 million pounds of carpet was redirected for reuse in 2025, more than four times the volume reported in 2021. The increased collaboration with contractors, designers and commercial users expanded the use of recovered carpet in construction and renovation projects.
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CARE’s collection system covered all 58 California counties. Fifteen new drop-off locations were added during the year. The total number of public sites now stand at 174.
CARE also provided $1.77 million in grants to support facility improvements, product testing, smaller projects and new design and recycling ideas.
CARE CEO Bob Peoples said the results were encouraging despite difficult conditions across the recycling industry. The organization aims to focus on strengthening carpet reuse and recycling through its new five-year plan, he added.
CARE will discuss the report during a public workshop scheduled for September 23.
