"Deconstruction Company Makes 'Reruns' of Hollywood Studios' Materials"

by Sarah Weimer

Congratulations to Myan Spaccarelli, owner of Looney Bins, Inc., whose company was chosen to be the 1998 CalMAX "Connection of the Year" by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. In April, Board members unanimously selected Looney Bins out of seven candidates to win the "Connection of the Year" award, based on the company’s outstanding achievements and use of the CalMAX program. Factors that the Board considers when determining the recipient of the annual award include: the quantity of material diverted from landfills; the savings to the businesses concerned; the involvement of materials the Board targets as priority (organic wastes and construction and demolition debris); and the overall significance of the exchange.

Looney Bins is a recycling and Hollywood studio services company located in Sun Valley, California. The company provides "drop" boxes to collect wood, cardboard, metal, plastic, and other salvageable items generated at studios when the sets are torn down. This deconstruction debris is sorted by material type, then sold or donated to businesses and organizations throughout California and Mexico.

Owner Spaccarelli explained that separating materials for reuse and recycling can be cost-effective compared with disposal. Revenues generated through the sale of upgraded recovered materials, plus the avoided disposal costs savings, regularly exceed labor costs incurred through sorting the material. Because locating reliable markets for these types of materials can be time-consuming, Spaccarelli recognized CalMAX would be a valuable resource. The response Spaccarelli has received from his CalMAX listings to find homes for the recovered materials has been overwhelming.

Through his CalMAX listings, Spaccarelli found an ongoing contact to pick up salvaged wood twice a week to make new pallets. Another company located through CalMAX is sending salvaged wood to Mexico for construction projects, while telephone poles recovered from the set of Warner Brother’s "Lethal Weapon 4" will be used by the Special Olympics. Spaccarelli estimates that Looney Bins has recovered and marketed over 600 tons of wood from Sony Studios alone by using CalMAX. In addition, one customer regularly picks up nails, screws, and building materials and ships them to hospitals overseas, and a nearby nursery takes scrap wood to make planter boxes. Spaccarelli has also found homes for over 200 cubic yards of polystyrene and over 3,000 tons of drywall through CalMAX. The gypsum recovered from the drywall is used as soil amendment in Southern California citrus orchards.

Spaccarelli finds great satisfaction in recovering previously discarded materials and estimates that over 90 percent of the materials handled by Looney Bins is reused and recycled. To quote Spaccarelli, throwing these reusable materials away is just plain "looney."

In his gracious remarks before the Board in April, Spaccarelli credited CalMAX for how it has benefited his business. Looney Bins has become more profitable and has increased its efficiency, given the reduction of staff time previously designated to marketing salvageable materials. Our thanks to Spaccarelli for fully utilizing CalMAX and successfully illustrating how other businesses can benefit from this valuable resource.

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Last updated: August 01, 2008