In honor of Global Recycling Day — held this year on March 18 — we’re shining a light on the impactful work of RecycleForce, an Indianapolis-based social enterprise that reduces electronic waste while providing citizens returning from incarceration with workforce development training.
Last November, RecycleForce moved into a new, 126,000-square-foot facility that has provided the social enterprise with a permanent location that has doubled both the volume of electronic waste the organization can process and the number of people provided annually with transitional employment, training, and support services to 12 million pounds and 700 individuals, respectively. Facilitated in part by two loans from IFF, the new facility is the first owned by RecycleForce after more than 15 years as a tenant and is anchoring the redevelopment of a 55-acre industrial lot on the east side of Indianapolis called Sherman Park. Once a bustling economic hub, the site became blighted in the two decades after the original owner, RCA, sold the property and relocated.
“There weren’t many empty sites where we could build a 100,000-square-foot plus facility, especially in locations that are right in the middle of the community where many of the people that we serve live,” said RecycleForce Founder and President Gregg Keesling in a 2021 interview. “Our communities are better when we find ways to engage people coming out of jail or prison in productive activities and give them the opportunity to reacclimate to being a part of the labor force.”
In addition to increasing the number of returning citizens RecycleForce can serve, the new facility has also expanded the organization’s ability to support employees as they re-enter society post-incarceration. That’s possible in part because of its location nearby Indianapolis’ Community Justice Campus. This makes it easier for RecycleForce’s employees to fulfill any post-release obligations, like checking in with a parole officer. Coupled with on-site supports like mental health services and referrals to substance abuse treatment providers, RecycleForce’s new home has amplified its already substantial impact.
Learn more about RecycleForce’s new facility and positive impact by clicking the image below to watch a recent feature on WRTV Indianapolis’ YouTube page:
RecycleForce · Workforce Development
Indianapolis Social Enterprise Moves Forward with $13 Million Workforce Development Complex for Returning Citizens
In its new facility — the first owned by the organization after years as a tenant — RecycleForce is anchoring the revitalization of a blighted industrial property while providing double the number of people it served previously with transitional employment and support services. Read our 2021 story about the project to learn more.
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