The saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has never been more true than today, and RecycleMatch.com is only continuing to make waste more valuable.
RecycleMatch and What It Does
It’s been called ‘Craigslist meets eBay‘, and it has won prestigious awards from Entrepreneur Magazine, Pop Tech and Opportunity Green for its innovation in the financial, social and environmental sectors. So what is RecycleMatch? It’s a website that pairs commercial waste-producers with waste-recyclers through a bidding process. Interested buyers can place their bid in order to buy a bulk supply of waste materials, and the business willing to pay the most is the winner.
What Kind of Waste Is Sold, and Who Buys It
It may be hard to believe, but even some of the most seemingly un-recyclable items can find a good home with the right business, and you don’t have to look any further than RecycleMatch’s case studies for great examples of this. For example, 180,000 lbs of glass shattered during Hurricane Ike that couldn’t be reused because of special trim and heavy film found a new home on RecycleMatch and was crushed and upcycled into green building materials like countertops.
Another example is a paint-roller manufacturer who disposed of 24,000 lbs of scrap polyester per month. Through RecycleBank, this textile producer found a home for their waste that now is made into products like car seat cushions.
A Brilliant Idea
Not only is this incredibly innovative idea diverting thousands (if not millions) of pounds of waste from landfills every year, it is also creating groundbreaking ways to use materials that many never thought could be recycled. To sweeten the deal, it’s also financially beneficial to both parties: to the seller, because they now receive payment for something they used to pay for (getting rid of their waste), and the buyer because (most of the time) they will end up paying below market-value for materials that will allow them to manufacture ‘green’ products.
How To Get Involved
Whether you’re buying or selling, visit RecycleMatch.com. If you’re looking to buy some recycled materials for your manufacturing facility, browse what suppliers are currently offering, and bid if you see something you like.
If you’re looking to sell, sign up for an account. And regardless of who your company is or what you’re selling, all listing information is confidential, so there should be no reason not to find a good home for your trash.
