CARE Announces Differential Assessment Rates

Dalton, GA, October 20, 2021--The additional carpet legislation that went into effect on January 1, 2020 (AB 729) requires Carpet America Recycle Effort (CARE) to implement a differential assessment on each square yard of carpet that reflects its cost burden to recycle. 

CalRecycle has now ruled that implementation of CARE’s proposed Carpet Differential Assessment Plan must take place by April 1, 2022. 

The approved assessment change will be based on two factors:

* Broadloom versus tile-All broadloom (residential and commercial) will be treated the same. The assessment for broadloom will not increase from the current $.35; some broadloom will qualify for a lower assessment. Tile will see the increase noted in the following table.

* Post-Consumer Content-Another provision of the law requires that CARE provide recognition of carpet products containing post-consumer (PC) content. This requirement will be reflected in the assessment being reduced by $.02 per square yard for any product, broadloom or tile, that has 10% or more certified PC content. Carpet mills will be responsible for advising retailers on which products qualify as having post-consumer content.

As a result, the approved Plan has four different levels of assessment:

            Broadloom > or = 10% post-consumer content-$.33/square yard

            Broadloom <10% post-consumer content-$.35/square yard

            Carpet Tile > or = 10% post-consumer content-$.48/square yard

            Carpet Tile <10% post-consumer content-$.50/square yard