Cost-effectively collecting carpet for recycling is a challenge. Nevertheless, scrap carpet is a product for which markets are developing, and that offers the opportunity for additional low-cost increases in diversion. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Washington), carpet and rugs compose 1.1 percent of the municipal solid waste generated in this country. By comparison, the types of plastic bottles commonly targeted by community recycling programs compose nearly the same amount (1.0 percent of municipal solid waste). However, unlike plastic bottles and many other recyclables, carpet is concentrated, with over 400 pounds generated in the average home's re-carpeting.
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