In 2012, Tehama County and five other rural counties were chosen to be part of a pilot carpet recycling program. Upon implementation, the Tehama County/Red Bluff Landfill began accepting carpet and pad during normal business hours for recycling. Individuals who self-haul carpet that is segregated from the rest of their load were charged a reduced tipping fee of $50.40 per ton as compared to $83.17 per ton for mixed loads until February 29, 2024. Beginning March 1, 2024, the reduced tipping fee for carpet is $70.29 per ton compared to $106.39 per ton for mixed loads.
Since implementation, the Landfill has seen an overall increase in the amount of carpet being recovered for recycling. Data for 2013-2023 is broken out below:
Year
Total Recovered Carpet/Pad
2013
14.7 tons (29,400 pounds)
2014
42.35 tons (84,700 pounds)
2015
87.3 tons (174,600 pounds)
2016
61.7 tons (123,400 pounds)
2017
48.25 tons (96,500 pounds)
2018
36.17 tons (72,340 pounds)
2019
47.14 tons (94,280 pounds)
2020
80.14 tons (160,280 pounds)
2021
76.55 tons (153,100 pounds)
2022
54.32 tons (108,640 pounds)
2023
26.01 tons (52,020 pounds)
The Agency is not exactly sure why recovered carpet tons are down from 2021 and 2022, but there is speculation among industry professionals that installers have been switching to luxury vinyl flooring instead of carpet.