The state of Maine has signed an agreement with the Carpet America Recovery Effort™ (CARE) – a
national carpet recycling group – to increase post-consumer carpet recycling by not sending used
carpet to landfills and through promoting the use of products containing post-consumer carpet
content.
CARE is a voluntary effort established as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding for
Carpet Stewardship, a national agreement signed by members of the carpet industry, representatives
of government agencies at the federal, state and local levels, and certain non-governmental
organizations. Approximately five billion pounds of used carpet is sent to landfills each year.
Since 2002, CARE and its network of Reclamation Partners have helped to divert more than one
billion pounds of carpet from that waste stream.
“Used carpet is a bulky waste that is difficult and expensive to manage,” said Maine
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner David P. Littell. “Maine looks forward to
adding the recycling of carpet to our efforts in developing alternatives to disposal in landfills.”
Maine will encourage carpet recycling by looking for opportunities to reclaim post-consumer
carpet removed from government buildings and by using environmentally friendly carpet pad made from
recycled carpet fiber under new carpet installations.
“CARE welcomes Maine into the growing fold of states willing to support CARE’s voluntary
efforts to find market-based solutions for the diversion of post-consumer carpet from landfills.”
said Frank Hurd, chairman of CARE’s Board of Directors.
April 7, 2009
