Minnesota Materials Exchange Program

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Minnesota Materials Exchange Program

• Solid Waste Reduction Seminar
• May 18, 2004
• Suzy Mellem

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MnTAP Goals

• Help Minnesota businesses
• implement industry-tailored solutions
• maximize resources
• prevent pollution

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MnTAP Profile

• Technical staff
• Free services
• Non-regulatory
• Funded by the MN Office of Environmental
  Assistance

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Industry Specialties

• Construction
• Dry cleaning
• Education
• Fiberglass/plastics
• Food processing

• Health care
• Machining
• Painting
• Vehicle maintenance

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MnTAP Services

• Telephone assistance
• Site visits
• Student intern program
• Materials Exchange
• Printed resources

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MnTAP Site Visit Savings

• 3.58 million lb of waste and emissions reduced
  last year
• 1.4 million saved in raw material and disposal
  costs

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Intern Program Savings

• 5.3 million lb of waste and emissions reduced
  last five years
• 3.53 million saved in raw material and disposal
  costs

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Minnesota Materials Exchange
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Before Materials Exchange
HELP! Customers want their books, but were out
of boxes!
We dont need boxes, but I dont want to throw
them out!
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After Materials Exchange
Boxes are reused instead of going to a landfill
or recycled
Books are shipped to customers
The world is happy!
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Benefits of Materials Exchange

• Reduce waste disposal costs
• Receive free or low-cost materials
• Service is free and easy to use
• Keep usable goods out of landfills

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Materials Exchange History

• Program started in 1995 and has since expanded
• Coordinated by MnTAP
• In 2003
• 1,506 tons of materials reused
• 1.2 million savings to businesses

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MN Materials Exchange Alliance
Program Locations
Northeast Minnesota St Louis County
Northeast Minnesota WLSSD
Northcentral Minnesota
Westcentral Minnesota
Otter Tail County
Chisago County
MnTAP
Southwest Minnesota
Southeast Minnesota
mnexchange.org
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Items Typically Listed

• 3-ring binders
• Bubble wrap
• Computers
• Drums/buckets
• Gaylord boxes

• Office furniture
• Packing peanuts
• Pallets
• Super sacks
• Wood scraps

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Who Uses Materials Exchange?

• Entities who list available items
• Manufacturers
• Offices
• Distributors
• Retail stores

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Who Uses Materials Exchange?

• Entities who receive items
• Small- or medium-sized businesses
• Schools
• Nonprofits
• Artists
• Brokers
• Recyclers

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Success Stories

• Marshall corn processing company gives one ton of
  ash/qtr to a cement company
• Princeton landscaping company receives 500,000
  lb/yr of scrap wood from a manufacturer

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Success Stories

• State laundry facility donated 235 15-gallon
  plastic buckets to a local business
• Clay County recovers about 50 tons/yr of reusable
  wood from landfills

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How to Use Our Service

• Web sitemnexchange.org
• E-mailed listings twice a month
• Call your local Alliance site
• Roger Schroeder

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Contact Us

• Suzy Mellem
• 612/624-5119
• melle010_at_umn.edu
• Roger Schroeder
• 507/532-8210
• rogerschroeder_at_co.lyon.mn.us