Recycling Old Carpet

Whenever you remove old carpeting from your home you will have to do something with it. Most people will simply throw it all away, and leave it as a problem for someone else at the landfill. Instead of throwing your old carpet away, why not recycle it? Recycling old carpet isn't really a particularly difficult matter, though some of the methods may require a bit of creativity and imagination on your part though.

• Look into CARE. Recently a joint-venture program has started up between the government and several companies within the carpeting industry, which is called Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE). The whole effort of this program is to provide a place where you will be able to drop off the old carpeting for recycling. Considering that this is a relatively new program (currently only in 26 states) and still growing, you can expect to pay a nominal fee for the recycling old carpets. The typical fee is between 5 cents and 25 cents per pound of carpeting.
• What is the resale value? As long as your old carpeting is still in relatively good condition, you can often resell. This way you can actually make back a bit of the money that you are spending on the whole project. Sometimes if you are having the work professionally done, the company will offer you a rate brake if you are willing to "sell" them the old flooring material that is in your house. All you really need to do is look into your options.
• Donate it. There are organizations such as Habitat for Humanity that will accept older, previously used, or reclaimed carpeting and other materials. If you are wanting to do this though you will need to make sure that the carpeting is still serviceable, and that it looks in good repair as well. Remember that even though you may not want the old carpeting any more, doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't want it.
• Reuse it. Instead of throwing away old carpeting, you can instead reuse it in some unique manner. For example, you could use the old carpeting as some sound proofing material if you are installing a theater room or even a music room. Simply hang it on the wall, and then cover it up with some fireproof drywall. When the new drywall is finished, and have it all painted up, you will have a music room that your children or other family members can use for practicing without bothering anyone else in the home.

While there are only four options listed here, that is by no means the end to your options for recycling old carpet. This is one of those materials where the only real limit that you can expect is the limit imposed by your imagination. Just remember that you really should check with your local authorities to ensure that you do not inadvertently do anything that is against the law, or prohibited in some way or another.