CARE Meeting Focuses on Recycling Innovation, New York Legislation
Chattanooga, TN, May 7, 2026-Industry leaders, recyclers and sustainability stakeholders gathered in Chattanooga this week for the 24th annual meeting of the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), where discussions centered on expanding end-use applications for recycled carpet materials and preparing for new extended producer responsibility legislation in New York.
The event, which took place May 5-6 at the Westin, drew more than 100 attendees, including representatives from carpet mills, recyclers, entrepreneurs and government agencies such as CalRecycle.
According to Ashley Young, director of retail sales operations for Mohawk Industries and chairman of the CARE board, the conference serves as a collaborative forum for the industry to address recycling challenges and opportunities.
“This conference really brings together not just carpet mills but also entrepreneurs from recyclers to sorters to folks that are finding end use of the product itself, maybe automotive parts or building materials,” Young said.
Young said participation from CalRecycle leadership has helped strengthen collaboration between regulators and the industry. “Their opportunity to kind of be a part of what we’re doing, to not just be a cog in the system but really partner with finding solutions,” he said. “There are challenges here, there’s no doubt. But out of those challenges, the opportunities are where we want to take this thing.”
A major topic during the meeting was New York’s upcoming carpet recycling legislation, which differs from California’s existing program because manufacturers-not consumers-will fund the recycling system. Young described the legislation as “a fundamental difference” from California’s model and said mills are now working through the financial and operational structure of the program.
Young also acknowledged the challenges facing carpet recycling efforts in California, where carpet sales have declined significantly since the state’s assessment program began. “When you start off at 5 cents and you go up to a dollar, it does make an impact on the price of the product,” he said. “The balance where we look at what we’ve experienced in California is: how do we learn from that and try to do better in New York?”
Looking ahead, Young said CARE’s board remains focused on improving the value of recycled output materials and creating stronger end markets for recycled carpet products. Young continued, “The product that comes out of carpet does go into a wide range of products and we’ve got to make sure that the ecoomies work for the recyclers.”
The theme of this year’s meeting was “Elevating the Future: From Valley to Summit.” Other speakers at the event included Dow research scientist Dr. Jie Wu; Kevin Line, technical director from building systems company CertainTeed; Doug Kobold, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council; and Matt Spaulding, marketing/communications expert and history enthusiast. Floor Focus Publisher Kemp Harr delivered a State of the Industry address, as well.
CARE also presented three awards during the conference on May 5. David Bender, CEO and sustainability strategist with Circular Polymers by Ascend, received the CARE Person of the Year award. Bentley Mills was named Recycler of the Year, with Sandy Ephard accepting the award on the company’s behalf ahead of her retirement after 44 years with the company. CARE also presented a Special Recognition award to Doug Mancosh, CEO of Rise Composite Technologies, which was recently acquired by CertainTeed.