This post was originally published October 14, 2015.  We interviewed Alec Avedissian, founder of Rareform, a California company which recycles billboard vinyl into backpacks, totes, laptop sleeves and and surf bags.

1. Alec, tell Insider a little about yourself.

I was born and raised here in Southern California. I attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara. Prior to creating Rareform, I worked in investment banking and renewable energy. I have also lived or spent considerable time in El Salvador, Indonesia, China, Rwanda, and Spain.

2. How did you get the idea to repurpose billboard vinyl?

I took a trip to El Salvador, where I noticed my friends using billboard vinyl as roofing. That’s what first inspired me to consider repurposing the material into products like surfbags and backpacks. When I came back to the U.S., I was working in advertising and noticed that companies were just throwing their billboards away after they were done using them. That’s when I started to really think more about the concept of intercepting these billboards before they hit the landfill and transforming them into products that were each completely unique.

3. Do billboard companies donate used vinyl to Rareform or does Rareform pay for the vinyl?

Rareform works with each company on a specific basis. We work with them to cover all costs.

4. Does Rareform accept vinyl nationwide or just in certain markets?

The majority of our billboards come from Los Angeles, but we accept vinyls from all over the U.S. Some of our billboards travel all the way from Florida and Massachusetts before they become bags.

5. What’s a little known fact about you that people would be suprised to know?

I have two little babies under the age of two!