In a major step toward national carpet recycling, the Carpet and Rug Institute, representing 92% of the industry, signed a voluntary Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to take increasing levels of responsibility for recovering discarded carpet over the next 10 years. This is the first national product stewardship agreement reached through a multi-stakeholder dialogue in the U.S.
The MOU was signed with the Midwestern Workgroup on Carpet Recycling, which was spearheaded by the states of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, a couple of carpet manufacturers and the EPA Office of Solid Waste. Its membership is now national in scope, with 40 representatives from industry (carpet and fiber manufacturers, carpet retailers and recyclers), all levels of government, and NGOs. Members met six times last year to draft and finalize an agreement, which has the support of more than 15 state governments.
The MOU establishes an independent, industry-funded third-party organization that will be responsible for achieving the group’s agreed upon goals for carpet recovery. The organization will manage the collection and recycling process and will develop programs to meet the goals. The ultimate aim of this initiative is to eliminate landfilling and incineration of discarded carpet. The EPA estimates that 2.4 million tons of carpet and rugs were disposed of in 1998.
The next step – which begins this month and is expected to conclude by the end of August – is to reach consensus on the specific environmental outcomes and goals for the third-party organization. The group is also developing national model procurement specifications for public agencies to serve as an incentive to carpet manufacturers. Only manufacturers that participate in the third party organization will be able to bid. The parties recognize that the most desirable solution would be a private-sector recycling effort that is economically viable and self-sustaining.
Contact: Garth Hickle, garth.hickle@moea.state.mn.us ,
Midwest Work Group on Carpet Recycling, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance.
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