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Newsletter 2005 issue 2 |
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Ten Years of Reuse
By Jessica Nytes
Over the last ten years, Minnesota businesses using the Minnesota Materials Exchange program have kept 10,900 tons of waste out of the landfills and have collectively saved over $7 million in avoided costs.
Analyzing the history of 3,200 exchanges, Suzy Mellem, Materials Exchange coordinator, has learned what materials move well and what ones don’t.
“Office equipment and supplies, packaging materials, plastic drums and wood pallets are some of the easiest materials to find users for through materials exchange,” said Mellem.
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Most frequently exchanged materials
1. Wood pallets
2. Plastic drums
3. Office furniture
4. Packing peanuts
5. Plastic buckets
6. 3-ring binders
7. Cardboard boxes
8. Office supplies
9. Bubble wrap
10. Photocopiers/printers |
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The fact that the exchange program is used mostly by commercial services, retail businesses and small manufacturers is one explanation for the types of materials that move quickly through the program.
Ten years of listings have shown that chemicals in opened containers are difficult to find new homes for. Businesses do not want to
risk that a product is contaminated.
On occasion, rare and unusual materials may be reused through the Materials Exchange program. A barn, 30-foot bridge, 32,000 pounds of jelly and a chicken plucker all have been exchanged between businesses.
Mellem assures, “If companies have reusable items in good condition, we’ll help try to connect them to someone who can use them.”
Ongoing relationships
Some Materials Exchange users form relationships with each other that result in continuing exchanges. A Minnesota wood product manufacturer was unable to reduce the 75 tons of sawdust it produced each week. Through the Materials Exchange program, the manufacturer connected with beef and dairy farmers to forge continuous exchanges that reuse all of the sawdust as animal bedding, keeping it out of the landfill and saving all parties money.
Listings 24-7
Electronic technology has helped MnTAP reduce paper waste by eliminating the need for a printed catalog. Not only is waste reduced, businesses have 24-hour-a-day access to the most current listings on the Materials Exchange Web site. If you don’t want to go to the Web site, you can join the listserv to receive twice monthly emails containing the newest material listings.
Materials Exchange client Tom Fruetel, maintenance facility manager of the North Star Processing plant, in Litchfield, appreciates the format of the program that allows for both “available” and “wanted” listings on the Web. He loves the ease of the Internet for making reuse contacts, “I don’t have to be making a million phone calls,” said Fruetel.
Real people, local
Businesses can call MnTAP or any of the eight programs around the state that make up the Minnesota Materials Exchange Alliance to talk with someone knowledgeable about materials exchange. “Having programs throughout the state is beneficial because Alliance members have connections with the businesses in their areas,” Mellem explains. “Alliance programs provide local service to businesses.”
Don’t let another ten years pass by without getting your business on the Materials Exchange. See the listings in this Source newsletter and visit the Materials Exchange Web site to find out what other materials are currently available. For more information call Suzy Mellem at 612/624-5119 or 800.247.0015.
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