Helping Maine Industry Minimize Waste through Industrial and Commercial REUSE and RECYCLING
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Helping Maine Industry Minimize Waste through Industrial and Commercial REUSE and RECYCLING
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The Maine Materials Exchange, in cooperation with the participating Clients, is proud to tell the following Case Study - Success Stories of ways that Maine Industries have changed the way that they do business and have taken what was formerly considered waste and by-products and are now handling them and marketing them as raw materials for some other industry to use in their product. These efforts have made significant impacts on the volumes of materials "no-longer-going to landfills or incinerators" and reducing the demand on "new" natural resources by re-utilizing these formerly "wasted" natural resources. M2X and the M2X Partners have caused these exchanges to happen and in so doing have rendered victories for the environment. Case Study # One Submitted by: Erda, Inc Erda is a small manufacturing company in central Maine, specializing in deerskin handbags, with a minor in recycled products. For years, people told me that the bags would look best stuffed with soft plastic bags, but I was unwilling to use new plastic that way. Then I discovered that Guilford Industries had lots of plastic bags that they needed to find a home for - the ones that their yarn comes in. I bought a truckload from them, and found the plastic did indeed make the handbags look great.Fortunately for the environment (but unfortunately for me!) Guilford has begun to re-use their plastic bags - a much better use than what I was doing - But I have been searching in vain for a replacement material. I finally have found some - six pallets worth - but all the way in New York State. It's going to cost a fortune to get them here. I am sure there are some in Maine somewhere, and that with our materials exchange in place, they will turn up when I need them next time.I discovered an Industrial Materials EXchange (IMEX) in Seattle many years ago, and receive their list in the mail four times a year. Seeing what others are discarding, I have been inspired to create products using the by-products of other manufacturers higher up in the food chain. Shipping costs all the way across the country made it prohibitive to use much of what I see. This year, though, I saw some closed-cell foam rubber gasket material that intrigued me, so I got 100 pounds to play with, and came up with an idea. Combining this material with used clothing which I get closer to home, ( at Goodwill) I made some journal covers. The pockets of the jeans are very useful for holding pencils, pens, calculators, candy bars, glasses, cell phones....you name it! The gasket material is sticky on one side, making it ideal to attach the jeans. I'm very excited that Maine will now have its own Materials Exchange. I know I'll find some new inspiration in some weird thing that someone else would have sent to a landfill!
Case Study # Two
Case Study # Three
Case Study # Four |
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