• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Profits For The Planet: Materials Exchanges Supercharge Business Recycling

Profits For The Planet- Materials Exchanges Supercharge Business Recycling

Profits For The Planet- Materials Exchanges Supercharge Business Recycling

Profits For The Planet: Materials Exchanges Supercharge Business Recycling

 

Most communities have consumer-level recycling programs; several states have bottle and aluminum can taxes. Both types of programs seem to combat the “disposable” culture that Western economies use, where the cost of manufacturing something like an aluminum can is passed on to the consumer, but the cost of disposing or recycling it generally isn’t.

These programs rely on consumer goodwill and community virtue for recycling, or simply putting a cost (not getting the deposit back) for deposit laws. Given that corporations aren’t just unlikely to have community virtue, but can actively be sued by their shareholders for not maximizing share value, the Gedankenexperiment is obvious:

What would happen if you harnessed the profit motive to environmentalism in a way that made getting recycled raw materials less expensive for manufacturers?

The end result is something called a used materials exchange, and it’s a type of business (and business model) that acts like a brokerage house for companies to purchase raw materials that they can recycle and re-use in house, or to sell off their recyclable materials left over from packaging and manufacturing. These exchange brokerages coordinate with each other, their sellers and their buyers through print catalogs, and, increasingly, through the web. They’re also forming networks to broaden their geographical reach, and setting up arbitrage-style efficiency for certain materials, notably copper and polystyrene.

Materials exchanges vary from state-to-state. Some are managed as state agencies, others are licensed subcontractors for state environmental review boards, and others are flagrantly for-profit businesses. Exchanges also vary widely in what they handle – some do transactions in hazardous materials, others in industrial process waste or construction waste.

Using exchanges works like most other business transactions:

 

People with waste to remove post what they’ve got that might represent a market, other firms will post lists of materials that might show up in waste streams that they’re interested in purchasing. Commodity focused exchanges are targeting their advertising and membership drives at specific industries, using professional and certification associations as part of their outreach strategies. For state-based exchanges, there may also be notifications from certification or bonding agencies promoting exchanges in specific materials or focusing on specific waste streams; construction, plumbing and electrical contractors, for example, are often told to look for exchanges in left-over lumber, pipe, and unused electrical conduit.

Exchanges are in the “Wild West” phase of new business development, and while actively encouraged by the EPA, they’re popping up with different specializations and regional variations. This means that a lot of exchanges are going to fail – failure is part of business – and some are going to become very efficient. As an investment opportunity, materials exchanges are a bit premature unless you’re planning on running one yourself.

If you’re looking at having an exchange pick up your materials, or if you’re looking to use them to purchase materials for your own operations, comparison shop. Exchanges typically have a gazetteer listing the services they offer. Before contacting an exchange, gather your current acquisition costs for raw materials, or, if you’re disposing of materials through an exchange, your current regulatory costs for waste removal and environmental remediation.

To find out more about exchanges, check out the website of the Environmental Protection Agency, which maintains a reasonably up-to-date listing of national and regional exchanges, or contact your state agency connected with waste management and hazardous material removal.

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Fun Ideas To Raising Healthy & Active Kids
Children’s Literature: A Day with Dutchess »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

More from the archives!

Does Honey Help You Sleep? We'll Find Out.

Kindergarten Social Skills More Important Than Academics

From car seats to Wal*Mart dolls: 5000 toxic chemicals in children’s products

Kids at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) Consumption

Children’s Literature: The Treebobs and Air Rena

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

wama hemp underwear

The Most Comfortable Underwear is Made of Hemp: WAMA Review

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

Recycling as a Family

Gray Skies Getting You Down? Beat the Winter Doldrums Naturally

Preparing Your Nest: Home Birth Necessities

Announcing Our Monthly Give Away!

Sponsored Video: Jeri Ryan and the American Cancer Society “Finish the Fight”

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

5 Simple Steps to Remember to Use Your Reusable Bags!

New study: 24,520 hormone disrupting chemicals in bottled water

TV Increases Risk of Depression; Exercise Makes Us Happy

Could "Liquid Wood" Replace Plastic?

Entertaining Kids: Part I

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.