Legislation is the Accelerant Carpet Recycling Needs to Gain Adoption
For over ten years, Aquafil has been doing its part to divert carpet waste from landfills and repurpose it into new ingredients through our ECONYL® regeneration system. Unfortunately, we are limited in how much we can process alone, and our group can only repurpose what has been recycled.
There is great opportunity to recycle carpet in the United States, and many ways carpet waste can be repurposed, but this circularity will only be possible with enforced legislation.
Wasting the Chance to Reduce Waste
Carpet manufacturing is a highly energy-intensive process, requiring large amounts of water and energy as well as extracted crude oil. Around three-quarters of carpets are made of nylon, which is not a conventionally biodegradable ingredient. U.S. businesses and residents add four billion pounds of carpet to landfills every year.
All of these numbers add up to a serious waste issue.
The economic potential for carpet recycling is vast. Beyond the addition of jobs with each new recycling plant, there is an existing demand for nearly 90% of the ingredients in recycled carpet. Nylon 6 can be regenerated as nylon, like ECONYL® fiber, the polypropylene used in carpet backing can be reutilized for injection molding production and the calcium carbonate used for carpet stabilization has potential to be repurposed for road construction and concrete.
Despite this potential, only 5% to 9% of carpet is recycled nationwide. Carpet needs to be recycled in individual parts, requiring a special process to break down the different chemical makeups that keeps businesses and individuals from easily recycling carpet waste. Most are also deterred by the high cost and inconvenience of collecting, transporting and processing carpets for recycling. Even with the support of voluntary programs like the Carpet America Recovery Effort, the country has failed to see an increase in carpet recycling.
The only way to increase recycling rates is to enforce it through legislation.
The Need for Carpet Recycling Legislation
In order to see change, states need regulations in the form of Extended Producer Responsibility laws, which require the manufacturer of a product to be responsible for its ultimate recycling, reuse or disposal. EPR laws have been shown to significantly improve recycling and landfill diversion rates, but only one currently exists for carpet in the U.S.
California is the first, and currently the only, state with a carpet EPR law. The law requires carpet companies to administer recycling programs, making it easier for businesses and individuals to recycle their carpet and compelling manufacturers to design with the end in mind. Through their stewardship program, California reached a carpet recycling rate more than double that of the national average while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking almost 14,000 passenger vehicles off the road.
Imagine these numbers multiplied by 50.
This growth is possible for other states, but only with the proper legislation. The state of New York discovered that it could increase its carpet recycling rate from a measly 1% up to 24% in only five years or less with the proper legislation. A carpet EPR bill could save businesses and taxpayers around $5.3 million annually and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 165,000 tons per year — the equivalent of taking 32,000 cars off the road.
Getting Closer Every Day
Thankfully, we are starting to see movement toward carpet recycling legislation in other states. The New York Senate recently passed a bill to establish a carpet EPR program, which is expected to be signed by the governor. Bills to create carpet stewardship programs have also been introduced in Minnesota, Illinois and Oregon.
While we must continue to challenge designers and manufacturers to produce eco-friendly creations and urge consumers to make sustainable purchases, we can only go so far before the lack of infrastructure limits our efforts. The positive environmental impact of recycling carpet should not go unnoticed by state legislations, and we will continue to implore them to act.
Author: Giulio Bonazzi, Chairman & CEO, Aquafil Group
