Indanapolis, IN. - May 10, 2017 - Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), the non-profit organization charged with advancing market-based solutions for carpet recycling and landfill diversion, has named its Person of the Year and Recycler of the Year for 2016. The two honors were awarded during the organization's 15th annual conference, held in Indianapolis on May 10-11.

Person of the Year
CARE's 2016 Person of the Year, Dick Kruse, is a member of CARE's Board of Directors and founded Kruse Carpet Recycling in Indianapolis, IN. Kruse boasts many years of experience in the carpet recycling industry. He's also been instrumental in developing CARE into the organization that it is today.

In announcing the award, CARE Board Chair Brendan McSheehy stated, "Over its 15-year life, CARE has been supported and enriched by a group of very distinguished individuals. Dick Kruse stands tall among them. Over his many years of service as a Board Director, Dick has lent vision and wisdom. At the same time, he personally labored in the trenches of recycling, supporting his daughter Kasey as she grew and matured in the business. Dick is a shining example in a dark hour to our industry. We are grateful and take great pride in recognizing his consistent leadership."

"I have had the privilege of working with Dick Kruse since 2005. I know how much Dick has enjoyed working with this Board, but truthfully, we have been very fortunate to have him join our Board early on. CARE and the entire recycling community has benefited enormously from the insights Dick brought to our discussions and decisions," said Dr. Robert Peoples, Executive Director of CARE.

Recycler of the Year
Interface has been named CARE's 2016 Recycler of the Year. A CARE partner, the company's Founder Ray Anderson adopted a bold vision that involved recycling and sustainability in 1994. Since then, Interface has been one of the industry leaders in recycling carpet.

Interface became the first manufacturer to implement a process for the clean separation of carpet fiber from backing on modular carpet tiles. The program, ReEntry, began in 2007 and has processed millions of pounds of material.

"Many industries nowadays stand accused of greenwashing. For some, the image and perception is in fact the reality. For others, commitment is barely skin deep. Yet, there are the few that take leadership roles in promoting recycling and disposal avoidance. Beyond this, there are even fewer that hold to that leadership through thick and thin - and in the face of several years of reduced oil and virgin polymer pricing, Interface's continued commitment has never been more challenging or more worthy of recognition as CARE Recycler of the Year", said Brendan McSheehy, CARE's Chairman of the Board.

About Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)
Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a voluntary, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the landfill diversion, reuse and recycling of waste carpet, through market-based solutions that benefit the economy as well as the environment.

Since 2002, CARE has diverted more than 4.6 billion pounds of carpet from landfills in the United States and promoted the use and development of products containing materials derived from carpet. CARE members include independent carpet recyclers, carpet manufacturers, dealers, retailers and suppliers and non-governmental organizations. For more information about CARE, visit www.carpetrecovery.org.

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