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Essex Materials Exchange
A materials exchange is a free on-line service that allows companies or organisations to list surplus resources, making them available for use by another, either for sale or free collection. This may encompass a wide range of materials, perhaps difficult wastes, which may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers e.g wooden palettes, paper off cuts, office supplies and other raw materials.
If your business or organisation wants further information on opportunities from using the Essex Materials Exchange, contact Richard Albon (0787 617 8992).
Why not visit the site at www.eastex.org.uk?
Benefit of Materials Exchanges:
- The companies that exchange their unwanted materials save money through avoiding disposal costs
- The companies that receive materials get this at reduced cost or for free
- They promote reuse, stops useful materials going to landfill, reduces the use of virgin resources while increasing profitability
- They create new partnerships that promote sustainable environmental and economic practice
The term 'Materials Exchange' is often used in preference to Waste Exchange - emphasising that the substances transferred do have value. In general, only one material passes from one company to another - there is not an 'exchange', although money may change hands. But a larger chain may open up for distribution or reuse of the material. Material exchanges can happen as a one-off or on an ongoing basis.
Several companies had an excess supply of wooden pallets. Via the exchange, a manufacturer was contacted, and now the pallets are either reconditioned and go back into the supply chain, or are used to create garden furniture and other wooden products.
An organisation in Peterborough had 48 visitors' chairs, and was having trouble finding a suitable home for them. The exchange enabled them to contact some local schools, and a local junior school is now the proud owner of a set of new classroom chairs - there were even enough spare for some to be put in the staff room.Essex Materials Exchange
The Essex Materials Exchange is managed by The Essex Community Recycling and Reuse Network (ECORRN), working with Essex County Council, the Environment Agency and the local Partners of the regional materials exchange network titled East Ex- combined, these include, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. East Ex is funded by EEDA and BREW until March 2008 and has specified targets to meet by this time. The Essex Material Exchange targets will be a proportion of these over all project targets.
| East EX Materials Exchanges Targets | |
| Description | Target |
| No of registrations with East Ex network | 3,000 |
| No of recorded exchanges | 6,000 |
| Documented tonnage of waste diverted from landfill | 18,000 |
| Savings in £ made by users | 1,800,000 |
| Referrals to local resource efficiency clubs | 600 |
| Referrals to Envirowise | 150 |
| No of social enterprises supported | 60 |
| No of people trained | 360 |
| No of training hours | 2,520 |
Material Exchange websites:
East Ex (Eastern region materials exchange network)
US Based Sites
Calgary M EX USA and www.cmex.ca
