The Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) actively seeks and supports sustainability-focused businesses that prevent, reduce, reuse, or recycle waste materials through manufacturing or other value-added processes. The RMDZ is administered locally by LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) and statewide by California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). To offer additional support, LASAN and the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) partnered to establish the innovative RMDZ Microfunding Initiative. The Initiative provides funding (up to $5k) to help local businesses with projects that create or expand the capacity to manufacture products from recycled or reused materials. Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects were successfully completed this year and described below, including the project outcomes and outreach efforts. These projects set the stage for future investments and funding opportunities for local businesses.
Phase 1 (December 2023)
Pictured (from left to right): East/West Shop鈥檚 natural dye workshop using onion skins; Mobile ReDesign Lab by Circular Fashion LA; Textiles being repaired and cleaned by Tersus; Clothing dyed using natural dyes by Another Nother.
East West Shop/EW Creative was founded in 2015, with the mission of educating the community on the lifecycle of apparel and how it can be addressed more sustainably. With the help of the RMDZ Microfunding Initiative, EW Creative saved over 50 stained garments from the landfill through its workshop that taught residents how to give new life to garments through an overdye process utilizing onion skins. The dye process was documented in a recording of the live demo and in a blog post on their website to allow others save even more stained items.
Circular Fashion LA aims to tackle the dual issues of post-consumer clothing and textile waste by collecting and upcycling used clothes and recirculating products back to their customers. Using the funding provided by the Initiative, the company tested its new Mobile ReDesign Lab that operates out of a zero-emission box truck from Evolectric, which officially debuted at the April 27 LAUSD Arts Festival. Circular Fashion identifies the best repair and re-dye services and teaches these to the public at mobile events.
Roboro is an upcycle design and services studio that partners with LA fashion brands to turn textile waste into unique garments. Using the funding provided by the RMDZ Microfunding Initiative, it tested Tersus鈥� liquid CO2 cleaning system which uses zero water, reduces energy consumption, and captures microfibers. Roboro saved 100 garments from the fashion brand Reformation鈥檚 sample room that were deemed unsellable due to damage and/or dirt, etc. Select garments that were cleaned and repaired were resold both online and in stores across the country.
Another Nother, created and operated by one woman in LA, upcycles clothing and gives them new life through innovative dyeing and printing methods. Using the funding provided by the LA RMDZ, Another Nother tested a new line of all-natural dyes made from food waste and foraged plant material, as well as different printing methods. Another Nother diverted more than a dozen secondhand clothing items suitable for dyeing from the 国产麻豆boy Threads facility in Los Angeles. Using all-natural dyes, Another Nother tested various block printing methods and print paste mediums to find the best natural dyeing method for different fiber types.
Phase 2 (April 2024)
Pictured (from left to right): 3-D printed tiny home by Azure Printed 国产麻豆s; Recycling campaign by 1PlasticLife at a middle school in the Los Angeles Unified School District; 3-D printed Rising Coffee Mug by STAAY made from unique coffee-ground blended clay.
Azure Printed 国产麻豆s brings 3D printing technology and recycling materials to revolutionize the way to build homes, ADUs, and backyard studios. With the help of funding provided by the LA RMDZ and other partners, Azure Printed 国产麻豆s designed and 3D-printed a tiny house on wheels鈥攊ts new X-180 unit model鈥攗sing recycled polymers. This project diverted the equivalent of 150,000 empty water bottles from the landfill.
1PlasticLife was founded in 2018 to raise awareness and fight against plastic pollution waste, while providing employment for unhoused individuals. With the help of the RMDZ Microfunding Initiative, 1PlasticLife piloted a school curriculum to combat plastic pollution at a middle school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. At the end of the project, 1PlasticLife diverted 260 plastic sporks, 431 plastic bags, and 793 plastic water bottles from the landfill. The company hopes to continue educating students to empower them to make a tangible difference in their communities, and lay the groundwork for a greener, more sustainable future.
STAAY is a design studio based in Los Angeles, specializing in experiential design, product design, and public art. RMDZ Microfunding Initiative funding helped STAAY test a new sustainable approach in ceramics by integrating coffee grounds into a clay-based feedstock that doesn鈥檛 require firing, for a 3D ceramic printer. Various blending methods were tested. For their feedstock, STAAY diverted 12 pounds of coffee grounds from Nam Coffee Shop, a Los Angeles-based Vietnamese coffee shop. STAAY combined the diverted coffee grounds with air-drying clays blended to test various methods of sustainable clay product fabrication. STAAY designed and printed their Rising Coffee Mug crafted from the clay and coffee grounds.
The Los Angeles RMDZ program and the California Product Stewardship Council are proud of the work accomplished by these innovative companies and projects. It is an honor to fund such work that fosters connection and circularity in Los Angeles. We are excited to continue supporting this work and open the next round of applications soon.