- Gibson Martucci
- 916-319-3104
- gibson.martucci@asm.ca.gov
(SACRAMENTO, CA) — The California State Assembly recently passed AB 80, authored by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), to reinforce California’s commitment to reducing carpet waste and promoting circular economy practices. The bill moves to the State Senate for consideration.
“AB 80 will help the carpet recycling reforms we enacted last year work better,” said Majority Leader AguiarCurry. “We’ve worked closely with manufacturers, recyclers, labor, and environmental advocates to make this program more effective for everyone, and for our environment.”
The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), California’s only carpet recycling program, has struggled to meet recycling targets, paying over $2.6 million in penalties between 2013 and 2020. CARE’s underperformance has been attributed to limited stakeholder input, insufficient statewide access to collection sites, and weak product labeling standards. Despite previous reforms, recyclable carpet continues to be landfilled due to inadequate collection and material identification which have contributed to recyclers going out of business and undermined California’s extended producer responsibility laws. Building on previous reforms (AB 863, Aguiar-Curry; AB 2398, Perez), AB 80 expands collection infrastructure, and improves labeling and backstamping for better material tracking. To improve stakeholder representation, AB 80 requires five nonvoting members from labor, recycling, and other sectors to be on the CARE board. The bill also includes a January 1, 2026, deadline for CalRecycle to implement regulations and technical updates mandated by AB 863.
AB 80 has broad support from local governments, labor unions, recyclers, environmental groups, and industry partners, with no registered opposition. Doug Kobold, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) said, “CPSC is proud to sponsor AB 80 and applauds Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry for her courage and commitment to improving recycling programs in California.”
Aguiar-Curry concludes, “After years of CARE falling short of its goals, it’s time California delivers real results for our recycling efforts.”