The Reusable Building Materials ExchangeA New Approach to an Old Problem by Dave Catterson Special to the Green Pages Since it is presently inconvenient and expensive to store and advertise used building materials, many tons of those materials from building demolition, deconstruction and remodeling projects are disposed of in landfills or illegally dumped, eliminating the potential for resource conservation and reuse. At the same time, more and more people are seeking a source for less expensive and/or more environmentally friendly building materials. The Energy Outreach Center developed the on-line Reusable Building Materials Exchange (RBME) in response to this problem. The new web site is a free-to-use and convenient way for contractors, remodelers, reuse businesses, do-it-yourselfers and other interested persons to easily exchange small or large quantities of used or surplus building materials. The Reusable Building Materials Exchange can be accessed on the world wide web at http://web.archive.org/web/19990819112118/http://http//www.eoc.org/bme. Users can browse listings of materials available or wanted in several material type categories. Anyone can post their own listings by first registering on-line. The actual exchange transactions are carried out between the interested parties. A tremendous amount of energy goes into the production of building materials. Referred to as "embodied energy," it includes the energy required to harvest or mine the raw materials, process or manufacture the final product, and the energy to transport the product to market. All of these steps in the process require a tremendous amount of fossil fuels. By reusing materials that would otherwise end up in landfills, much of the embodied energy is conserved. Of course, there's also the benefit of reducing the impact on our over-burdened landfills. Nationwide, construction and demolition waste accounts for nearly 30 percent of all of the waste that is disposed in landfills, adding up to approximately 100 million tons per year. Reuse also saves disposal costs for businesses and home owners and keeps more money circulating in the local economy. Since the exchange transactions are carried out directly between the interested parties, there's always the potential for barter or trade. The RBME was developed through a public participation grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. During the initial pilot phase, transactions will be limited to Mason, Thurston and Pierce Counties. Beginning in January of 1998 more counties and states will be added through an affordable subscription service. For more information about the Reusable Building Materials Exchange, contact the Energy Outreach Center at (360) 943-4595 or eoc@olywa.net. Dave Catterson is the Project Coordinator at the Energy Outreach Center.
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