Materials Exchange Programs

Programs that provide a mechanism that allows people and organizations to dispose of unwanted but reusable goods and materials by making them available to others who might be able to use them. Participants contact one another directly to arrange the actual exchange. Included are programs that produce directories of unwanted materials that people can purchase or acquire at no cost and those that allow people to post information about such materials on a website. Materials exchange programs help find a useful life for goods that would otherwise be discarded, thus reducing the volume and cost of solid waste disposal.