Before You Throw it Away, Check Out SacramentoMAX: No-cost materials exchange service available to Sacramento region

SACRAMENTO—Who hasn't walked past a dumpster full of interesting discards and wondered why someone couldn't make better use of those materials? With widespread community programs now collecting many recyclables—bottles, cans, paper, and yard waste, to name a few—shouldn't there be an opportunity for nontraditional cast-offs to find another home, instead of heading to the landfill? There is, and it's called SacMAX.

Sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the Sacramento Materials Exchange, or SacMAX, is a free materials exchange service that provides no-cost online classified listings to help businesses, schools, nonprofits, and other organizations connect and exchange good, usable discards. The service is modeled after the State program called CalMAX, which offers listings from throughout California.

"Whenever we can keep useful materials out of our crowded landfills, we are doing something good for the environment," Board Chair Linda Moulton-Patterson said, announcing the availability of Sacramento-area materials listings through the Board's Web site. "This is an excellent new service combining State and local government resources. We are delighted to partner with Sacramento County and the surrounding region in making SacMAX accessible. Innovative programs like this put California one step closer to producing zero waste."

"The CalMAX and SacMAX classified ads are free to use and free to advertise in, which is one reason why we encourage businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, and individuals to take advantage of this great service," said Doug Eubanks, Recycling Coordinator for Sacramento County. "What is unique about SacMAX is that all the Sacramento-area listings in the statewide CalMAX ads are now easily accessible in one place online."

Harold Duffey, Integrated Waste General Manager for the City of Sacramento's Department of Public Works' Solid Waste division, agrees. "It really is true that ‘one person's trash is another person's treasure,' and using SacMAX is a good way to save resources while reducing waste," he said. "Why pay to send something to the landfill when you could find someone who needs your materials for a project they are working on? Using a materials exchange service is a cost-saving measure for both parties. And best of all, schools, nonprofits, and others also have the opportunity to place ‘wanted ads' for used equipment, supplies or feedstocks that they need. It's a two-way exchange system and everybody benefits."

SacMAX is a new extension of CalMAX, the California Materials Exchange, a service established by the Board 10 years ago to help cities and counties achieve the State mandate to divert 50 percent of municipal solid waste away from landfill disposal. Since 1990, California has diverted more than 230 million tons of reusable and recyclable materials from landfills-enough to fill a line of garbage trucks laid end-to-end that would circle the Earth's equator more than six times.

The Board is dedicated to making waste reduction and reuse services as user-friendly as possible. Toward that end, and in addition to the free classified ad services it provides, CalMAX is also offering a new free list serve feature. To sign up for twice-monthly e-mails about new listings in your area, please send a message to calmax@calrecycle.ca.gov.

What kinds of items can be found in the materials exchange listings? Just about anything, from computers to building supplies, or furniture, construction materials, carpet, and more.

Finding places and people to take leftover paint brought Curt Hennessee to the Sacramento County CalMAX listings.

"I found CalMAX over the Internet about a year ago," said Hennessee, whose company, Allied Finishing, has surplus paint to offer. "CalMAX has helped us find nonprofits and others who want our leftover paint; they get low-cost or free paint and we don't have to dispose of it."

Hennessee has disposed of over 100 gallons in the last few months; about half of that recently went to California State University, Stanislaus, located in Turlock, where it was diluted and used on the soccer field. Mustang Magic, a nonprofit in Victor that helps troubled youth, was another recipient of the free paint. In business for about 14 years, Allied Finishing uses a premium paint, which "is of such value that these organizations will come and pick it up," said Hennessee, who looks forward to more calls as a result of improved convenience for users through SacMAX.

Another Sacramento-based business, Somers Building Maintenance, has been using CalMAX for about two years. Somers provides facility management, custodial, and recycling services for commercial buildings. The company is committed to reducing waste by reuse and recycling.

"We want to find the best end uses for everything that is brought up for recycling and CalMAX helps us do that," explained Bill Coffee, a Somers Building Maintenance manager. One of the surplus materials the company produces in large quantity is bubble wrap, which they give away—often to people who are using it to wrap materials being sold through eBay, an online auction service.

"Since we have been using CalMAX, we have facilitated the reuse of two 40-foot truckloads of bubble wrap and we have more available," said Coffee. "Several months ago, we moved 6,000 rolls of packing tape through CalMAX; this was about 15 pallets weighing around 7 tons." Because shipping costs are a factor, Coffee supports expanded services like SacMAX to help find more local takers for the material.

SacMAX is also helping California Electronic Asset Recovery (CEAR), another CalMAX user. In business for seven years, CEAR started out repairing and reselling computers and other electronic equipment. About three years ago, CEAR expanded to recycle electronic components, too.

"We operate within Northern California because of shipping costs," explains Paul Gao of CEAR. "Currently, we get 3-5 calls per month from CalMAX; we look forward to an increase in local callers from SacMAX."

The six-member California Integrated Waste Management Board promotes a zero waste California in partnership with local government, industry, and the public. This means reducing waste whenever possible, promoting the management of all materials to their highest and best use, and protecting public health and safety and the environment.

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