"A Local Materials Exchange in the Heart of Sonoma County"

by Beth Regula-Thompson

SonoMax is a local materials exchange program based in Sonoma County. SonoMax was started in 1993 by Garbage Reincarnation through a waste reduction grant from the Sonoma County Department of Public Works, Integrated Waste Division. In 1995, the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency (SCWMA) assumed responsibility for the program's operation. Karina Mahl currently runs the program, as well as answers the phone at the Eco-Desk Hotline (an environmental resource information center). Current operating costs for SonoMax total approximately $6,800 per year.

SonoMax serves the community by offering businesses, nonprofits, and schools a tool to trade and manage discarded materials. SonoMax mainly lists materials that are wanted or available for free. The program currently has over 75 listings organized using the same 15 material type categories as CalMAX. Each quarter the program mails out as many as 1,400 free fliers of listings to its "subscribers" and gets a healthy renewal rate of over 50 percent.

Like all exchanges, one of SonoMax's biggest challenges is securing new listings. Most listings are obtained "first hand" when Karina is discussing a business' waste issues while answering the Eco-Desk phone. CalMAX and SonoMax also share listings, which helps them both serve a wider audience.

Who benefits the most from a local materials exchange? Everyone involved, of course. Community relationships expand while new contacts emerge. Both the business sector and local government can reap benefits from a local materials exchange. SonoMax is an excellent example of how a county can reduce waste while simultaneously stimulating the economy. Here are a few examples of recent exchanges:

• Gardeners and landscapers were able to use 9000 pounds of wood shavings from Sonoma Grapevines, a commercial nursery specializing in the grafting of grapevines.
• Boys and Girls Clubs and creative teachers throughout Sonoma County currently use 100 pounds per month of blueprint paper for drawing from the North Coast Builders Exchange.
• And from a shared listing with CalMAX: a Santa Rosa high school instructor placed an ad for photography equipment in the Wanted section. The result: the teacher (and her students) received from Lawrence Livermore Labs a camera, an enlarger, and a print drying rack.

What a great exchange for those lucky students, and a rare opportunity to interact with the labs!

Sonoma County residents can get a free SonoMax flyer at local recycling centers and public events, or by calling the Eco-Desk. Karina Mahl answers the Eco-Desk Hotline from noon to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 707-527-3375. All of SonoMax's listings are available on their web site at: www.recyclenow.org/sonomax

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Last updated: August 01, 2008