Goodwill Industries Buys Bay Area Carpet Recycler

San Jose, CA, Aug. 17, 2009--Goodwill Industries of Silicon Valley said it has acquired the carpet collection and sorting business from SF Carpet Recycling (SFCR), the first facility of its kind in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Following the successful acquisition, SFCR continues to operate independently with a focus on new market development for the growing supply of post-consumer carpet products.

Bay Area businesses and residents throw away more than 130 million pounds of carpeting every year, enough to blanket Golden Gate Park's 1,117 acres with five layers of unwanted rugs, carpet, and carpet tiles.

Dismayed by the knowledge that nearly all of this discarded material was destined for burial in landfills, entrepreneur Ellen Raynor saw her opportunity to make an impact and launched SFCR in November 2007, quickly building it into a nationally respected carpet recycling resource.

With decades of experience in recycling and reusing post-consumer goods, Goodwill also recognized the economic and environmental value of these discarded floor coverings. Building upon the organization's recent expansion into mattress dismantling and recycling, Goodwill noted the clear synergy in acquiring a drop-off and sorting facility for used carpeting.

Through the acquisition, Goodwill becomes one of approximately 60 used carpet collection facilities operating in the United States and strengthens its position as a vital partner in helping local governments meet stringent waste diversion targets.

"Carpet recycling creates jobs in the Bay Area, provides an alternative to the landfill, and helps close the loop on carpet manufacturing. It's a win-win situation for all parties," says Raynor, who will now focus her efforts with SFCR on developing new markets for used carpeting material.

Recycled carpet can be used as backing or padding for new carpet, while some carpet yarns can be converted into plastics that find new life as automobile parts, clothes hangers, or landscape pavers.

"Ellen developed an excellent system for collecting post-consumer carpet and preparing it for reuse" said Georgina Sikorski, executive director, Carpet Recovery America Effort (CARE), a national industry-government trade group that encourages carpet repurposing.

"We look forward to seeing what she can accomplish in building out the tough market for recycled carpet materials."