EcoSet keeps manufacturing materials out of landfills in Los Angeles

It’s been fifteen years since the Producers Guild introduced its Green Production Guide, and yet convincing film and television productions to think about the life cycle of their sets and props remains a work in progress.

“A lot of these productions don’t have a plan,” says Reese Medefesser, the reuse coordinator at EcoSet in Northeast LA’s Glassell Park neighborhood. “They have to get off stage. So what’s the easiest thing you can do? They just get the dumpster,” he says, and everything goes to the landfill.

The PGA’s sustainability guidelines encourage manufacturers to “build in time for sustainable packaging at the end of production” and warn “landfilling should be the last option.” But it’s still a struggle to convince productions why money should be spent eliminating waste.

That’s where EcoSet comes into the picture. The Glassell Park warehouse isn’t the only place where sets and props are recycled in Los Angeles, but since 2009 it has been a major source for film, TV, music videos, commercial productions and live events that aim to divert waste from landfills. Even better, EcoSet’s Materials Oasis offers a wide range of supplies for free to nonprofits like schools and other organizations that can make use of discarded decor, furniture, art supplies and various props.

EcoSet’s mission is to get productions to think about what will happen to their materials once the show is finished – as anything that has to be thrown away comes with environmental and financial costs.

“We are an alternative dumpster. Just like you have to pay to throw things away, that’s all we are: an alternative stream for the stuff that productions are trying to get rid of,” says Medefesser.

On the day Variety When we visit, a woman pushes a shopping cart filled with various decor materials. She designs haunted houses, she says, and sets for photo booths at horror conventions. Because she’s not part of a nonprofit, customers like her pay $30 to grab whatever they can within an hour of shopping.

When materials arrive at the warehouse, “we go through an assessment to find out which items have the most reuse value. We want to make sure that the nonprofits, the schools and the public sector are the first to get involved,” Medefesser explains.

While a tour of the warehouse reveals a few fun items, like a giant inflatable pizza slice, a huge arrow board, and a prison bar area, most of the inventory is less noticeable: lots of wooden flats, walls, doors, windows, and other building materials. But it could potentially help set builders, event designers and artists all save money and reduce waste.

“When you look at this mess, you’re looking at thousands and thousands of dollars of walls and everything,” Medefesser explains.

Delivery is the most cost-effective way to unload used items, he says, but pickup is also available. And just as there are fees for dropping off waste at the landfill, there is also a fee for leaving materials at EcoSet – starting at $350 for a van, up to $2,200 or more for a large caravan’s worth.

EcoSet was founded in 2009 by Shannon Bart, who worked on commercial manufacturing with current director Kris Barberg, and wanted to find a more sustainable path forward for the chronically wasteful industry. The company also provides advice on zero-waste practices for kits such as recyclable craft service items, and helps direct leftover craft meals to Every Day Action, which distributes food to organizations in need.

The head office is also located in the warehouse Expendables Upcyclerthat recovers everything from unused gaffer tape to camera equipment and batteries. Production crews can buy and sell both used and new consumables to reduce both costs and clutter on their sets.

While production fluctuations impact the volume of items coming in, there are more customers looking to shop at the Materials Oasis than ever. Much of this is thanks to a few recent TikToks that promoted the warehouse as a treasure chest for dedicated savers. But Medefesser cautions that you’ll never know what you’ll find or what its value might be — and nonprofits will take precedence.

“You now see a changing attitude, many young people are becoming increasingly attuned to each other,” says Medefesser. But ultimately, he just wants everyone to think about how they’re going to dispose of everything they use, and whether it can be reused, stored or recycled.

“The more communication, the more coordination, the more logistics we can work out, the better I can help you,” Medefesser tells productions. “Our whole motto here – it’s on our website – is ‘with a game plan it’s not a waste.’”