CARE Celebrates 10th Anniversary of CA Carpet Stewardship Grants

Dalton, GA, March 24, 2026-This month, the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its California Carpet Stewardship Grant Program-marking a decade of strategic investment, market development and infrastructure expansion that has dramatically increased the state’s capacity to collect, process and recycle post-consumer carpet (PCC). As one indicator of the grants’ impact, the carpet recycling rate for the state has soared from 11% in 2016 to 37% in 2025, a rate of growth unmatched anywhere.

Since launching the grants in 2016, CARE’s California program has awarded 98 grants to 79 entities, totaling approximately $12 million, catalyzing new recycling facilities, supporting product innovation and expanding collection access across the state.

Capital Improvement grants have supported collection growth by over 20 million additional pounds annually and recent investments expect to add another 13 million pounds annually. The program kickstarted three new PCC collectors in the state.

Grants in modest amounts have led to big payoffs. CARE’s Micro Grants for Collection and Reuse have supported dozens of existing or new public collection sites, increasing convenience, access and PCC collections by 13.6 million pounds annually. The Micro Grants (up to $15,000 each) have also supported two new reuse hubs in the state, tripling carpet tile reuse from just a few hundred thousand pounds to over three million pounds of reuse annually.

Thirteen product testing grants and six innovation and design grants have been awarded. By funding laboratory work, pilot manufacturing runs and applied research partnerships, CARE has helped companies move recycled PCC from concept to commercial reality. These grants have supported field trials and commercialization efforts across multiple sectors, including new PCC-content products, improved designs to promote carpet and carpet tile recyclability and advanced fiber identification technologies.