The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), a voluntary, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the landfill diversion, reuse, and recycling of post-consumer carpet through market-based solutions, has awarded Aquafil USA as the CARE Recycler of the Year, for Aquafil’s continuous consumption of post-consumer nylon 6 carpet across the United States.
Since 2002, CARE has diverted more than 4 billion pounds of carpet from landfills in the United States, and its members include independent carpet recycling entities, carpet manufacturers, dealers, retailers, suppliers, and non-governmental organizations.
Aquafil’s reclamation of post-consumer carpet is a first step in the ECONYL® Regeneration System, which creates recycled nylon 6 fibers from post-consumer carpet in a continuous production cycle. Aquafil’s process transforms the nylon 6 back into raw material without any loss of quality.
“We are pleased to present Aquafil USA with this award, which recognizes Aquafil’s continuous commitment and leadership in sustainable manufacturing and a circular economy,” says Brendan McSheehy, Chairman of the Board of CARE.
Meanwhile, Rocky Ponders and Robert Goldberg, Columbia Recycling Corporation, were named CARE Persons of the Year. These two individuals transformed their company’s business model, expanding post-industrial and post-consumer carpet recycling over the past 36 years. As a result, they increased employment from fewer than 25 employees to more than 500 people. Rocky and Robert led the company’s growth into production of melt filtered pellets for the compounding industry, and the production of carpet cushion manufacturing, using recycled carpet components.
“CARE is pleased to recognize Rocky and Robert’s leadership of Columbia Recycling Corporation. Over the years, these two innovators have led their company to divert significant amounts of carpet from landfills across the USA, through innovations in process technology, equipment design and product development,” says Robert Peoples, executive director of CARE. “We especially want to recognize Rocky, as he retires from the day to day operations of Columbia Recycling, and wish him all the best in his new efforts to further develop the carpet cushion business.”
