Sen. Kohl-Welles is sponsoring Senate Bill 5110, which would place responsibility on carpet manufacturers for developing programs to support the recycling of their products when they reach the end of their useful life. 

“Carpet waste compromises 2 to 4% of the overall solid waste stream in the country,” Kohl-Welles said.  “Here in Washington it is estimated that we dispose of about 145,000 tons of carpet annually, but we currently only recycle about 2% of it.”

Under Kohl-Welles’ legislation, Senate Bill 5110, manufacturers would be required to participate in a carpet stewardship program designed to incentivize markets for products made from recycled carpet material and to ensure environmentally safe management of materials that cannot feasibly be recycled.

The Senate Environment, Water & Energy Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill later today.  Click here to watch the hearing on TVW.