Florida Keen To Recycle Carpets
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has joined a national effort to encourage the recycling and reuse of post consumer carpet. The DEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Carpet Stewardship last week, joining nine other states and the U.S. Environmental Protection as part of the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE).
“Waste carpet makes up one percent of the municipal waste stream – about the same amount as plastic bottles, steel cans and tires,” said DEP Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs Allan Bedwell. “This partnership will provide us with ways to more effectively recover materials for recycling and better protect Florida’s environment.”
The recovery effort was launched by the carpet industry in 2001, who forged the plan with federal, state and local government agencies, and non-government organizations to improve the management of waste carpet in the United States.
CARE sets goals to recover, reuse and recycle post consumer carpet over ten years and fosters market based solutions for recovering value from discarded carpet and a schedule for the phase out of its land disposal and incineration.
Most components of carpet can be recycled or reused, but only four percent of waste carpet is currently recovered.
More than 2.5 million tons of carpet are discarded each year and according to CARE, it is responsible for two percent of annual landfill waste in the United States.
The goal of the CARE is to achieve a 20 percent landfill diversion by 2012. Recycled carpet can be used to produce plastic lumber, parking stops, pallets and new carpeting.
Provided by theEnvironmental News Service.