An American company has figured out how to profit from the second R in the reduce-reuse-recyle mantra of environmentalism.
Repurposed Materials of Denver, Colorado, markets used products and materials from various industries that producers can convert to multiple uses on the farm.
Owner Damon Carson said reusing materials in agriculture is nothing new for most farmers, but he decided to make a business of it when he realized that many used industrial products and by-products that still had value were being discarded.
He believes his company is unique because it offers used industrial products and byproducts with which the agricultural industry is not yet familiar.
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The company uses a website for marketing and has a customer mailing list of nearly 20,000.
Carson said one of the products his company sells is used material from advertising billboards, which can be repurposed for the agricultural industry as hay tarps.
Another used product is rubber conveyor belts, which can be used as wind breakers or flooring in horse stalls.
Carson said feedlots are big buyer of used conveyor belting, which can be used in front of feeding trays to prevent animals from slipping.
Old street sweeper brushes are sold as back scratchers for livestock, which he said is particularly popular in the dairy industry.
Discarded rubber roofing membrane is sold for use on silage pits. Carson believes the unique feature of this product is its ability to provide a layer of protection against small animals disturbing the formulation process in the pit while also preventing the pit’s lighter covering from lifting.
He said reusing makes sense environmentally and economically.
Repurposed Materials has been in operation since September 2010.
