The Carpet EPR bill (S5027C/A9279A) that State Senator Brian Kavanagh had sponsored is now law, with Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature. The new law requires carpet manufacturers to establish a program for the collection and recycling of discarded and unused carpeting. Moreover, starting in January 2026, carpet sales in New York will be prohibited unless the manufacturers are participating in an approved industry-wide plan for recycling or have established their own program for carpet collection, approved by the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The new legislation establishes carpet recycling performance goals that the industry is required to achieve over time once the programs are approved, with the final goal, to be achieved by the 15-year mark, calling for 75 percent carpet recycling, and at least 40 percent of recovered materials being used as recycled content for new carpets.
