Channel 3 News Interview with Damon Carson – National Reuse Day 2025
Interview Transcript:
Andrew (Host): Today is National Reuse Day. Repurposing is a new frontier in landfill diversion. Joining us now to talk more about repurposing is Damon Carson, founder and president of repurposedMATERIALS.
Andrew: Damon, it’s so good to see you, man. So let’s talk about it. Repurposing — is this the same as recycling? And how does this differ from typical reuse?
Damon Carson: Great question, Andrew. We get that question a lot. What it’s not is recycling — which means chip it, shred it, grind it, melt it, size reduce it. Repurposing, by contrast, is on the reuse side.
But it’s funny — with the “reduce, reuse, recycle” triangle, reuse is kind of the middle child. It’s often forgotten or unpopular.
Andrew: Why is that? Why is it so unpopular?
Damon: I think people just… if you think about used clothing, they don’t want to wear someone else’s clothes. They’d rather buy something brand new. Or it’s more fun to show up in a brand-new shiny vehicle rather than getting something used that has someone else’s germs. There’s kind of a phobia around used items, I guess.
Andrew: Okay, so let’s try to dispel that phobia. What items do you have to share? I know you mentioned you had a couple of examples of repurposing.
Damon: We do big industrial things. A good example: we got ballistic glass — two inches thick — originally made for the State Capitol in Sacramento, California. It was meant to protect politicians from potential threats but was made to the wrong spec.
They were going to send it to the landfill. We were able to take it in and rehome it with a zoo in Texas that’s building a new lion exhibit. So instead of steel bars or chain-link fencing, they’re going to use see-through glass. No longer good for the Capitol — but perfect for the zoo.
Andrew: That’s a great example. What is your typical customer? And where is your Southwest location?
Damon: We’re in Fort Mojave, Bullhead City — right on the Colorado River, near the Arizona-Nevada border, about 90 miles south of Vegas. Our typical customer is a small business owner. We’ve worked with zoos, but really anyone looking for discounted industrial materials. We call them the castoffs and discards of American industry.
Andrew: Repurposing is definitely different from recycling. For someone watching — what could I repurpose today?
Damon: On a residential level, there are all kinds of things you can repurpose. For example, a chicken coop in your backyard. If you have a little land, maybe you’re a farmer or rancher — people like that love discounted materials. These are things industry is done with — they don’t want them anymore — but they can still get a productive second life on the acreage or in the backyard.
Andrew: Damon Carson with repurposedMATERIALS — thank you so much for joining us here on the program.
Damon: Thanks for having me.
Andrew: You can find more details about repurposedMATERIALS on our website: news3lv.com