About 5 billion pounds of carpet is a widely cited estimate of U.S. carpet sent to landfill—not a current, audited annual count. A separate pilot-scale experiment found that waste carpet could burn as supplemental fuel in a rotary-kiln simulator, but it did not establish routine use in commercial cement kilns or prove that burning carpet is clean or environmentally preferable.
How much carpet goes to U.S. landfills?
Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) estimates that 5 billion pounds of carpet went to landfill in 2017. An EPA-hosted study gives a similar but broader estimate: 1.8–2.3 million metric tons, or 4–5 billion pounds, of post-consumer carpet landfilled annually in the United States. The study’s publication date is not stated in the accessed record, so neither figure should be presented as a freshly measured current total.
The figures describe carpet waste, not necessarily carpet removed from buildings in that same year. The available sources do not establish a current annual total for removals or landfill disposal.
What did the cement-kiln test actually find?
The EPA-hosted study tested whether waste carpet could serve as supplemental fuel in a 73 kW pilot-scale rotary-kiln simulator. Researchers cut carpet into one-to-three-inch squares and fed nominal 0.4 kg charges into a natural-gas-fired simulator. Each charge took about two minutes to burn. This was a controlled feasibility experiment, not a trial demonstrating routine use at a full-scale commercial cement kiln.
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- Try Before You Buy with Sample Option – Ordering a sample of carpet squares before a full project allows you to confirm color, texture, and overall quality with confidence
- Carpet Tiles with Padding Built into Every Piece – Each tile has a 6-pound high-density attached polyurethane memory foam padding that improves underfoot comfort and reduces noise — no pad required
- Seamless Appearance Like Wall-to-Wall Floor Carpet Tiles – Precision cutting technology creates tight seams for continuous flooring look throughout — proprietary method avoids touching the face fiber
- Easily Replaceable Sections for Long-Term Use – Individual pieces can be removed and swapped if worn or damaged — ideal for bedrooms, basements, and all living areas without replacing the entire floor
- Peel and Stick Carpet Tiles for DIY Installation – Prep the surface, peel the backing, place, and press firmly onto wood, laminate, vinyl, concrete, or tile — no additional carpet adhesive needed
The rationale was that carpet contains energy-bearing polymers and calcium-carbonate filler, which is also a cement raw material. The authors concluded that batch-fed carpet could be feasible as supplemental fuel under the conditions they tested. That finding does not, by itself, show that carpet fuel is preferable to recycling or landfill.
Emissions were not steady throughout a burn
The study measured several emissions, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide, ammonia, hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The authors reported transient emissions as a charge burned: carbon monoxide rose during a fuel-rich middle phase, while nylon carpet was associated with elevated nitric oxide during fuel-lean periods. Their integrated result was that 1–2 percent of the nylon carpet fuel-nitrogen converted to nitric oxide in the pilot tests. This is not a percentage reduction or a full-scale emissions rate.
Rank #2
- Try Before You Buy with Sample Option – Ordering a sample of carpet squares before a full project allows you to confirm color, texture, and overall quality with confidence
- Carpet Tiles with Padding Built into Every Piece – Each tile has a 6-pound high-density attached polyurethane memory foam padding that improves underfoot comfort and reduces noise — no pad required
- Seamless Appearance Like Wall-to-Wall Floor Carpet Tiles – Precision cutting technology creates tight seams for continuous flooring look throughout — proprietary method avoids touching the face fiber
- Easily Replaceable Sections for Long-Term Use – Individual pieces can be removed and swapped if worn or damaged — ideal for bedrooms, basements, and all living areas without replacing the entire floor
- Peel and Stick Carpet Tiles for DIY Installation – Prep the surface, peel the backing, place, and press firmly onto wood, laminate, vinyl, concrete, or tile — no additional carpet adhesive needed
The authors’ conclusion was that the tests demonstrated feasibility, while also warning that rapid volatilization could cause emissions transients and that burning nylon carpets may increase nitric oxide emissions. The study does not establish current adoption by cement plants, a present-day full-scale emissions profile, or comparative lifecycle impacts.
Why carpet is difficult to recycle
Carpet is a layered product rather than a single, uniform material. Common face fibers include nylon 6,6, nylon 6, polypropylene (olefin) and polyester. Backings may contain latex or PVC, along with polypropylene layers and calcium-carbonate filler.
Rank #3
- Try Before You Buy with Sample Option – Ordering a sample of carpet squares before a full project allows you to confirm color, texture, and overall quality with confidence
- Carpet Tiles with Padding Built into Every Piece – Each tile has a 6-pound high-density attached polyurethane memory foam padding that improves underfoot comfort and reduces noise — no pad required
- Seamless Appearance Like Wall-to-Wall Floor Carpet Tiles – Precision cutting technology creates tight seams for continuous flooring look throughout — proprietary method avoids touching the face fiber
- Easily Replaceable Sections for Long-Term Use – Individual pieces can be removed and swapped if worn or damaged — ideal for bedrooms, basements, and all living areas without replacing the entire floor
- Peel and Stick Carpet Tiles for DIY Installation – Prep the surface, peel the backing, place, and press firmly onto wood, laminate, vinyl, concrete, or tile — no additional carpet adhesive needed
CARE explains that the face fiber is often the most valuable part for recycling, but identifying and separating it takes work. Sorting, separation, shredding and handling add processing steps and costs. The mix of materials, plus the cost and availability of collection and processing, means there is no simple routine recycling route available everywhere.
What happens to recovered carpet?
CARE lists several product categories made with old carpet, including composite lumber for decking and sheets, tile backer board, roofing shingles, railroad ties, automotive parts, carpet cushion and stepping stones. It also identifies recovery of carpet’s energy content as an outlet. These are examples of possible end markets—not a promise that every carpet type can enter each process or that every product is available in every area.
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- Includes 5 brown 'Super Plush' (60 oz) Luxury Carpet Tiles covering 33.33 sf and 14 installation pads.
- DIY Installation - Do-it-yourself (DIY) product made for easy self-installation without any adhesives. Tiles / squares are larger than average for a faster installation process.
- Machine Washable - Carpet tiles / squares are machine washable, and stain, water, and pet proof. After washing, tiles / squares can be reinstalled as no glue is used in the installation.
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These routes differ in what they recover: some use material in a new product, while energy recovery uses the carpet’s fuel value. The pilot kiln study supports the feasibility of the latter under its test conditions; it does not compare the environmental impacts of these options. Availability depends on the local collection and processing system.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check whether your carpet can be reclaimed
- Ask the right local contact. If you are a homeowner, ask your carpet dealer about reclamation. For commercial flooring, CARE recommends contacting a mill representative or specifier.
- Check the local operation and its acceptance rules. Use CARE’s reclamation map to look for U.S. reclamation operations, then contact the operator to confirm it accepts your carpet and learn any preparation requirements.
- Confirm cost and logistics before removal. CARE notes that recycling is not free and that costs and available systems vary by location. Ask about collection, transport, material requirements and charges before treating a route as available.
For background on landfill estimates, carpet materials, recycling guidance and listed product outlets, see CARE’s FAQs. The pilot experiment is documented in the EPA-hosted paper, Characterization of Transient Puff Emissions from the Burning of Carpet Waste Charges in a Rotary Kiln Combustor.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Try Before You Buy with Sample Option – Ordering a sample of carpet squares before a full project allows you to confirm color, texture, and overall quality with confidence
- Carpet Tiles with Padding Built into Every Piece – Each tile has a 6-pound high-density attached polyurethane memory foam padding that improves underfoot comfort and reduces noise — no pad required
- Seamless Appearance Like Wall-to-Wall Floor Carpet Tiles – Precision cutting technology creates tight seams for continuous flooring look throughout — proprietary method avoids touching the face fiber
- Easily Replaceable Sections for Long-Term Use – Individual pieces can be removed and swapped if worn or damaged — ideal for bedrooms, basements, and all living areas without replacing the entire floor
- Peel and Stick Carpet Tiles for DIY Installation – Prep the surface, peel the backing, place, and press firmly onto wood, laminate, vinyl, concrete, or tile — no additional carpet adhesive needed
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
