For decades, discarded wall-to-wall carpet contributed significantly to landfill waste. Today, carpet recycling has evolved into a robust industry, transforming carpet into a more sustainable product. Leading manufacturers like Mohawk, Shaw, and Aquafil continue to innovate, making recycling easier and more impactful than ever.
Expanding Carpet Recycling Networks
♻️Shaw’s re[TURN]® Program
Shaw Industries has reclaimed and recycled nearly 1 billion pounds of post-consumer carpet through its re[TURN]® program. This initiative focuses on EcoWorx® backed carpet, which is reclaimed at no cost to the customer and recycled into new EcoWorx products. Shaw’s network spans major U.S. markets and emphasizes circularity—turning old carpet into new flooring materials while reducing landfill waste.
♻️Mohawk’s ReCover Program
Mohawk Industries operates the ReCover Carpet Recycling Program, which has diverted millions of pounds of carpet from landfills since 2006. Mohawk accepts any brand of carpet, coordinating logistics for pickup and recycling across North America. In addition to recycling nylon and PET-based carpets, Mohawk also repurposes used flooring through partnerships with nonprofits and processors, contributing to both environmental and social impact.
♻️Aquafil’s ECONYL® Initiative
Aquafil Group continues to lead in chemical recycling of nylon 6 carpet through its ECONYL® program. Their U.S. carpet collection centers—located in Southern California and Phoenix, AZ—accept post-consumer carpet and padding from residential and commercial sources. The collected nylon 6 fiber is depolymerized and regenerated into new ECONYL® yarn, which is used in high-performance carpets and textiles. Aquafil partners with brands like Interface and Mohawk to integrate ECONYL® into sustainable product lines.
♻️CARE: Carpet America Recovery Effort
The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a nonprofit stewardship organization created by carpet manufacturers to promote the diversion, reuse, and recycling of post-consumer carpet. CARE manages a nationwide network of drop-off sites, with a strong presence in California through its Carpet Recycling Drop-Off Site Program. These sites are strategically placed based on accessibility and generation potential, and they accept clean, dry carpet and carpet tile for recycling.
CARE also:
- Provides onboarding and promotional support for facilities
- Offers bilingual signage and outreach templates
- Hosts an annual industry conference focused on sustainability and innovation
- Distributes grants to improve PET carpet recycling and support processors
Despite market challenges, CARE remains a key driver of carpet recycling in the U.S., helping divert over 5 billion pounds of carpet from landfills since its inception.
Beyond Carpet: Diversified Reuse
When carpet materials can’t be recycled into new flooring, they’re often repurposed into:
- Carpet cushion and underlayment
- Erosion and sediment control products
- Engineered resins for automotive parts
- Concrete additives and insulation materials
This diversified reuse helps extend the lifecycle of materials and supports industries beyond flooring.
Sustainable Choices for Consumers
Today’s consumers can choose from a wide variety of carpets made with recycled content, including:
- Polyester carpets made from recycled plastic bottles
- Nylon carpets designed for closed-loop recycling
- Modular tiles with take-back guarantees
These options not only reduce environmental impact but also support job creation in recycling, logistics, and manufacturing.
Watch the video and learn more about how the wall-to-wall carpet industry participated in the carpet recycling process and how this program is helping to protect our environment.
Carpet Recycling Process
