Company turns Ag waste into wearable items

SELMA, Calif. -- A Valley woman has found success turning agricultural trash into fashionable treasure.

Old, lay flat irrigation hose used to move water through Valley farms wound up in a Selma landfill. Most people see trash but Heather Carpenter saw an opportunity. Carpenter said, "We have millions of pounds of this material on site."

The muddy material is not recyclable but Heather figured it could be reused. She said, "We just came up with upcycling, which basically means you take product that can't be recycled and you make it into something else."

So a year ago Landfill Dzine was born. Her friends thought she was crazy until they saw the bags. Carpenter said, "Everyone's like, this is totally amazing. It's absolutely crazy when you actually feel the material - what is was before."

She's made bags big and small. Some even featured a bamboo weave. Heather had belts and even bracelets and keychains made so there would be zero waste.

On the five-acre landfill you'll find stacks of recyclable polyurethane tubing and plastic tarps used to cover grapes. Carpenter said, "99 percent of what we do is all agricultural plastic. This was one material that costs farmers a significant amount to dispose of."

Right now, flip-flops are the most popular item on the Landfill Dzine website.

For more information, visit www.landfilldzine.com.