When old carpet and pad is removed, the question that is being asked more and more is:

“Is it bad to throw away carpet and have it go to the landfill?”

The short answer is yes, because there is no benefit to burying it on a hillside, especially since carpet contains renewable natural resources. Plus, if you ask your local landfill operator or trash management company, they will tell you their preference is to not have to dispose of any carpet. They don’t want it to pass through their gates.

The issue of throwing away carpet is that landfills are not designed to handle something so durable. Landfills are engineered to provide a controlled decomposition of waste. There is some pretty advanced science going on in those piles of trash. Old carpet does not behave like typical waste, so burying it only masks the problem of what to do with carpet once it is taken out.

Thankfully, for homeowners, it is becoming easier to be more responsible with carpet that is removed from their house.

Finding a better way to dispose of old carpet is not difficult as it used to be. As recently as five years ago, carpet recycling was almost unheard of and finding a company to recycle carpet was nearly a waste of time. Much has changed in a few short years.

Due to California’s vision and foresight a growing circular economy is growing and thriving for recycled goods from Post Consumer Carpet.

So, if you need to dispose of unwanted carpet, look beyond the landfill and protect the environment. You may even save some money in the process.