Founder Damon Carson’s business, repurposedMATERIALS, sells discarded industrial items such as wooden barrels, old fire hose, or even retired highway guardrails to customers who find different uses for the products.
Farmer Veteran Coalition has entered into a discount partnership for its FVC members with repurposedMATERIALS, which encourages a new secondhand use for discarded industrial materials.
The Lafayette, Colorado-based business has six warehouses across the country with a variety of items customers can purchase and turn into something different.
In 2010, owner Damon Carson bought 20 advertising billboards for $7 each and advertised them for sale. Those billboards, instead of ending up in a landfill, could be turned into a large tarp, pool liner, or a cover for a haystack, for example.
That became the start of repurposedMATERIALS.
“I had no grand vision when I sold those first billboards about what this ‘repurposing’ thing would turn into,” he said. “Our success in finding new homes for all these castoffs of industry is definitely attributable to all the creative and resourceful customers who figure out the second lives for these materials.”
Used street-sweeper brushes have found new purpose as backscratchers for livestock or zoo animals. The reused items come at a much cheaper cost for customers willing to envision a new use for the product.
Decommissioned fire hose is one of the business’ most popular materials. The fire hoses have been “repurposed” into dog toys, decorative flags, boat dock bumpers, and floor mats.
Another versatile material repurposedMATERIALS sells is retired mining conveyor belt. These rubber conveyors can be “repurposed” into windbreaks, water gaps, chute liners, archery backstops, truck bed liners, and more.
Retired highway guardrails are also highly sought after for their durability, making them excellent for fences, corrals, and even water diversion, said Kiara Proano, director of marketing.
More than 15 million pounds of waste has been diverted from entering a landfill already this year, according to repurposedMATERIALS figures.
The company has a strong presence on Facebook with a community that appreciates the idea of “repurposing.”
Facebook followers like the unique ideas the company shares on how to extend the life of various materials. It also engages the audience by asking “How would you ‘repurpose’ this?” and encourages people to think creatively about reuse.
Its newsletter also has a loyal following and keeps people informed about its efforts.
The Texas warehouse for repurposedMATERIALS is moving from its location in Forest Hill, which is outside of Fort Worth, to Waco. It hopes to open in September, offering easier access and enabling the business to connect with more people and further spread the word about “repurposing.”
Other warehouses, including the main one in Lafayette, Colorado, are in South Carolina, Iowa, Ohio and Arizona.
A 10% discount to FVC members is offered by repurposedMATERIALS. To receive this promo code, please reach out to support@farmvetco.org. To learn more about what repurposedMATERIALS has to offer, visit https://www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com/ or call 877-282-8733.
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