LA's Homeboy Industries introduces new clothing recycling project
The project specializes in sorting, grading, storing, and routing textiles.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A new clothing recycling project from Los Angeles-based nonprofit Homeboy Industries is breaking the cycle of gangs and going green at the same time.
As part of Homeboy Threads, workers, who are all former inmates or gang members, sort through huge pallets of clothing and fabric scraps to see if any items can be repurposed. The project specializes in sorting, grading, storing, and routing textiles.
They do everything from repairs to sewing new items, all to keep the material out of landfills.
"It's important because it gives certain people who have those barriers for employment to not only help the environment, but to also progress in their employment and learning new trade skills and different things about the fibers, different things about the landfills, just about the environment in total, and just give people a second chance," said Chanalisa Sera, a Homeboy Threads supervisor.
The group said right now, 1% of materials worn today will be used for future clothing and said they hope to change that statistic.
For more information, visit Homeboy Threads' website.
