Everyone
has unwanted waste. Whether it is plastic
buckets, packing peanuts, cardboard boxes
or pallets there are people in Otter Tail
County who may actually benefit from used
items. Look in the corners of your business,
organization or household. There could be
something useful that someone else may want.
The
Otter Tail County Solid Waste Department implemented
a Materials Exchange Program for businesses,
organizations and households in October of
1999. The Otter Tail County Solid Waste Department
was awarded a grant from the Minnesota Office
of Environmental Assistance to initiate and
conduct a Materials Exchange Program. This
program is a free service to link businesses,
organizations and households that have reusable
goods they no longer need to those who can
use them.
There
are several advantages to materials exchange
and many businesses, organizations and households
have had the opportunity to be apart of this
successful program. For example, Lakeland
Christian School, A Ministry of Christian
Outreach, Inc. of Henning listed a few needs
on the Otter Tail County’s Material
Exchange List. On their list of items needed
were computers. The Otter Tail County Materials
Exchange helped to put them in touch with
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
which was looking for an acceptable disposal
method for their old, but functional computers.
Four used computers were saved from being
disposed of at an Otter Tail County transfer
site.
Another
example of a trash to treasure success is
Productive Alternatives of Fergus Falls. Productive
Alternatives had an extensive amount of wood
scrap that was being incinerated. Steve Lorshbough,
production manager at Productive Alternatives,
called Otter Tail County Solid Waste hoping
for help on how to reduce disposal costs for
the overwhelming 500,000 pounds of wood scrap
per year. Otter Tail County referred him to
a business listed on the Minnesota Materials
Exchange web site at www.mnexchange.org.
In the summer of 2001, Steve contacted the
Sylva Corporation in Princeton, Minn. The
Sylva Corporation now picks up each truckload
of the scrap, processes it and uses it for
mulch. Productive Alternatives has now reduced
their waste stream as well as having the added
benefit of saving thousands of dollars in
disposal costs every year.
A successful exchange can be both receiving
items needed and giving items that are no
longer needed. The Otter Tail County Humane
Society has listed both items needed and items
to be given away. A couple of those growing
needs on the list are bleach, dog food, puppy
food, kitty food and kitty litter. They have
also given away a number of items that were
taking up space, such as small pet taxis and
5-gallon square pails. All of those items
have been successfully given away. In fact,
they have been so successful they do not have
a current need to be listed on the exchange
list.
With
so many examples of successful exchanges every
year, the Otter Tail County Solid Waste Department
has continued this program by listing items
at www.co.otter-tail.mn.us/solidwaste.
Additionally, a semi-annual exchange list
is sent to all businesses, organizations and
households who have identified an interest
or have offered materials to the exchange.
For more information on the Otter Tail County
Materials Exchange
contact the Otter Tail
County Solid Waste Department.
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