TYLER, Texas — It's not uncommon to throw away materials that are no longer needed. In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the average person throws away 81 pounds of textiles per year.
Donna Holmes, a Tyler woman has a hobby that brings recognition to the number of textiles that are sent to landfills every year. She creates bags out of recyclable materials such as retired firefighter gear, military uniforms, denim jeans, and other old clothing.
It all started with a request from her son, a firefighter in California. In 2017, he asked her to create a duffel bag out of retired bunker gear.
"I told him no," Holmes said. "I didn't want to take on that project but he asked me again."
Holmes works at a graphic design business in Tyler but has been sowing since her high school days in Yuba, California.
After eventually making her son a bag, she realized she could use other recyclable material to create bags. Now, two years later, Holmes is the creator of 'It's a bag.' Her business, solely on social media, receives requests from people across the country.
"I have met some really great people through this," Holmes said. It's more than just making bags. It's creating connections with people that I truly enjoy. I've made bags for a couple different people who live in other states than Texas, like Oklahoma and Colorado. After being able to kinda message back and forth with them finding out we lived in the same town in California."
Her brand is built on making unique handmade bags while reducing textiles and waste.
Her social media pages are filled with videos of her explaining how the process of deconstructing the material works.
According to the U.S. EPA, every year more than 3.8 billion pounds of usable clothing, shoes, linens, and other textiles are sent to landfills instead of being recycled or donated for reuse.
Holmes says bringing recognition to that number keeps her going, but it's the meaning behind each bag that she wants people to take with them.
If you'd like to make a donation or have a special bag made you can reach out to Holmes through her social media pages.