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Environmental and Health Issues  Prevents Waste:
Materials exchange diverts usable items and materials from landfills and conserves natural resources.
See the Introduction for a complete description of this environmental issue.
What is a materials exchange program?
A materials exchange program provides a resource which businesses, citizens, schools, nonprofits, and governmental entities can use to match those who have unwanted materials with others who may want those materials. Materials exchange promotes the reuse and recycling of items and materials that might otherwise be thrown away.
What is the California Materials Exchange (Cal/MAX)?
CalMAX - the California Materials Exchange - is a free, online service designed to help find markets for nonhazardous materials that may have been traditionally discarded. The program is used by the public and private sectors.
What are the benefits of using CalMAX?
CalMAX helps conserve energy, resources, and landfill space by assisting businesses and organizations find alternatives to the disposal of valuable materials through exchange. CalMAX helps divert an average of 67,000 tons of materials each year. Examples of materials that are being exchanged include: construction and demolition materials, office and home furniture, pallets, packaging materials, computers, wood, paint, organic matter such as food waste, and plastics.
Businesses can benefit in a number of ways. They can exchange materials with each other, and give material to schools and nonprofits. CalMAX also helps businesses network in their community. Businesses that are active in recycling become notable in the community and are modeled by other businesses and community members.
Schools and nonprofits can also use CalMAX to search online for available and wanted materials. Schools receive items such as gardening material, desks, computers, art materials, and general office items. Community organizations receive furniture and office equipment.
Please visit the CalMAX Web site for more exchange models and stories.
State Agency Waste Diversion
California law [Chapter 764, Statutes of 1999 (Strom-Martin, AB 75)] requires each State agency and large State facility to divert 50 percent of their solid waste stream from landfills or transformation facilities through source reduction, recycling, and composting activities. State agencies can obtain source reduction credit for donating materials and items through materials exchange programs such as CalMAX, fleet sales, auctions, and State Surplus Property . The Department of General Services (DGS), State Surplus Property Reuse Program oversees surplus property; therefore, State agencies need to obtain approval from the DGS prior to donating materials or items through any materials exchange programs. To streamline the approval process, the DGS now offers an Internet-based customer interface, where State agencies can electronically complete and submit Property Survey Reports and Transfer of Location Reports for approval.
Who is using materials exchange programs?
CalMAX was originally established to help cities and counties meet mandated waste diversion goals. CalMAX, and other materials exchange programs, are used by State and local governments throughout California as well as private citizens, businesses, schools, and nonprofit groups.
Success Story
A CalMAX Business Model
A window manufacturer in northern California-specializing in wood windows and door restoration-produced large amounts of sawdust as a by-product of the manufacturing process. The window maker placed an advertisement for the available sawdust at the CalMAX Web site. A horse rancher in a nearby county found the sawdust ad and contacted the window maker. The rancher needed the sawdust for use in the horses' stalls as bedding. They made arrangements for pickup and now the rancher collects sawdust from the window maker on an on-going basis. The benefits of this, as in other arrangements, include avoided costs - in this case, the avoided disposal costs of the sawdust to the window maker and the avoided (or reduced) cost of horse bedding material for the rancher. After use in the stalls, the material is mixed with compost and has a third life in the garden.
Other Materials Exchange Programs in California
Los Angeles County Materials Exchange Program (LACoMAX)
LACoMAX is a free service designed to help residents, businesses, institutions, and organizations in Los Angeles County find markets for their industrial by-products, surplus materials, and other discards. LACoMAX encourages individuals, businesses, schools, and nonprofit organizations in the County of Los Angeles to post their available materials and to find needed materials over the Web.
Contact:
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works
Environmental Programs Division
900 S. Fremont Avenue, 3rd Floor Annex
Alhambra, CA 91803-1331
(626) 458-6974; (626) 458-3593 (Fax)
MarinMAX Materials Exchange MarinMax is a program developed to provide a reuse service for residents, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and schools located in Marin County. This free on-line resource allows members of the community to search for used items they need or give away items they have no use for or might otherwise dispose of.
Contact:
Marin County Department of Public Works
Waste Management Division
P.O. Box 4186
San Rafael, CA 94913-4186
(415) 499-6647; (415) 446-7373 (Fax)
E-mail: mailto:info@marinmax.org
Napa County Materials Exchange Program (NapaMax)
NapaMax is a division of the City of Napa assigned the responsibility of coordinating the reduction of waste materials being disposed of in area landfills. They encourage and support any efforts to recycle and reuse materials. NapaMax is a free on-line resource enabling users to gain needed materials or to discard any unnecessary or unwanted materials. Its purpose is to conserve energy, resources and landfill space by providing you with an easy alternative. This alternative involves simply logging in to the NapaMax Web site and creating a wanted or available listing.
Contact:
City of Napa
Public Works Department
Waste Reduction and Recycling Coordinator
P.O. Box 660
Napa, CA 94559-0660
(707) 257-9520 ext.7291; (707) 257-9522 (Fax)
Santa Cruz County Materials Exchange Program (ProMAX):
ProMAX is sponsored by the County of Santa Cruz and managed by Ecology Action, a nonprofit organization of Santa Cruz. This is one of Ecology Action's innovative waste reduction programs for the Monterey Bay area. Ecology Action actively seeks matches between entities that have materials available or are searching for materials.
Contact:
Ecology Action
P.O. Box 1188
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1188
(831) 426-5925 ext. 28
E-mail: mailto:vaguiar@ecoact.org
Sonoma County Materials Exchange Program (SonoMAX)
SonoMax is a free service designed to match the discards of businesses and other entities in Sonoma County with potential users. Any business, nonprofit group, or government agency can list materials they have available or would like to acquire. The program is operated through the County's Eco-Desk Hotline. SonoMAX listings are published quarterly. Listings are updated regularly on the Web site.
Contact:
Sonoma County Waste Management Agency
2300 County Center Drive, Ste. B-100
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 565-3668
Eco-Desk Hotline (707) 565-desk (3375)
E-mail: mailto:refkarina@sonoma-county.org
Ventura County Materials Exchange Program (VCMAX)
VCMAX publishes listings on a quarterly basis, and provides on-line listing services. VCMAX is a free service designed to reduce the amount of resources buried in local landfills. The discards of one business or nonprofit organization can be diverted to provide feedstock for another local business, school, government agency, or nonprofit organization. (No brokers, please.) This quarterly publication and newsletter also serves as a resource guide featuring waste reduction information and events.
Contact:
Ventura County Environmental and Energy Resources Department
1000 Hill Road, Suite 100
Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 289-3120; (805) 289-3102 (Fax)
E-mail: mailto:pandee.leachman@mail.co.ventura.ca.us
Special Note: Portions of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Best Practices Manual were borrowed or adapted from the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide published by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board of Minnesota.
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