Nevada County News

Nevada County may be rural and small, but it is setting the pace for a new way to get businesses to exchange materials. This article highlights the impact of how two unique waste exchange ideas came together to better serve the business community.

As we all know, the bottom line drives businesses. Many businesses have also figured out how to save money through reuse and recycling. One example is Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions. In the 1990s this company began looking to recycling as a way to lower operating costs. Waste disposal was costing tens of thousands of dollars for three facilities with 1,600 employees. The company formed a solid waste recycling team and looked at all the waste streams. As the program expanded, the company realized that the local community had much potential. How to tap into the community was another story.

Business Consortium 2001
Why not share materials? Certainly reuse—as the CalMAX program demonstrates—is the best and highest use of materials. The only question remaining was how to help Nevada County local businesses exchange resources. A consultant firm, a local hauling company, and Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions shared ideas. The ideas evolved into Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions spearheading and hosting the first annual Business Consortium on Recycling in May 2001.

The purpose of the consortium was to bring together the community and create matches between those who need and those who generate various materials. The consortium was to educate the business community regarding the various resources available. A diverse group of business representatives attended, including local artists. During the first consortium, Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions linked with a machine shop that agreed to take pallets. Thomson also found a mailing company and local artists to take packaging and peanuts. Through these matches they estimated saving $17,000 in disposal costs.

This event was successful, resulting in a number of matches. However, this approach to business networking was not sustainable. Tracey Harper, Nevada County’s Recycling Coordinator, was looking for a solution to keep this concept alive. She turned to CalMAX to help figure out a solution to the problem.

As a community, Nevada County is one of the highest users per capita of internet services in California. Harper wanted to create a local material exchange program, so that business users would see only local material exchange information.

She turned to the Board’s CalMAX staff for help with a local materials exchange. Together they decided to use the newly created CalMAX portal page. This would include a custom portal page for Nevada County or www.CalMAX.org/NevCoMAX.

This way, local business users would see local listings or ads, which help facilitate a community focus for exchanging material. The portal will help save resources and provide local networking opportunities.

As a former CIWMB staff member, Harper knows the benefits of partnering with the CIWMB are numerous. A small rural county has neither the funds nor expertise to develop an autonomous exchange program on its own.

CalMAX allows Nevada County to offer the business community a viable resource that helps them save money. It can also help meet the mandated diversion goals of the Integrated Waste Management Act.

NevCoMAX eliminates the frustration of only finding faraway matches and reduces transportation costs associated with the movement of materials.

As efforts to create NevCoMAX were underway, Nevada County staff and Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions were busy planning the second annual Business Consortium. The second Consortium goals were similar to the first event—making matches and educating businesses regarding the county’s new and evolving outreach programs.

Business Consortium 2003
More importantly, Nevada County had an ace up its sleeve. There was now a program in place to sustain the exchange program between annual events—NevCoMAX. Diana Rivera, CalMAX Coordinator, unveiled the program to the 50 participants during the Consortium lunchtime event. It was very well received, as indicated by the feedback. One hundred percent of the people who completed the evaluation form said they would use NevCoMAX to locate or get rid of their materials. At the event several successful exchanges took place between businesses.

The following example shows the importance of a local exchange program. BriarPatch Community Market, a local health food cooperative, had shelving units they didn’t need. BriarPatch—with a strong commitment to waste diversion—received a CIWMB Waste Reduction Awards Program “WRAP of the Year” award. The managers did not consider disposing of perfectly usable shelves, which they left behind the store for a while before listing in CalMAX.

Meanwhile, Manager Mike Falegti of Western Gateway Park picked up a CalMAX magazine hoping to find recycling bins. At first he didn’t think a match was hopeful because the items he needed, besides recycling bins, were located in Southern California. While perusing the catalog, Mike stumbled into a listing for shelving available. He wasn’t looking for shelves, but the park needed them. The shop didn’t have a place to store paint, tools, and other items. The find was significant because the business disposing of the materials was located only 10 miles from the park. BriarPatch Manager Paul Harton met with Mike Falegti and struck a very good deal. Falegti estimates the park saved at least $900 from the exchange.

To keep the momentum going, Nevada County will conduct an outreach campaign to raise awareness about NevCoMAX among businesses and other sectors of the community. Nevada County has a very diverse group of people that can benefit from the new program. Artists have begun to use the exchange program as it continues to evolve, and it has potential for other groups such as school children looking for project material. The possibilities for expansion and growth of NevCoMAX are endless, according to Harper.

To see Nevada County’s local Web site, go to: www.CalMAX.org/NevCoMAX/ or www.ciwmb.ca.gov/CalMAX/MiniMAXs.htm

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Last updated: August 01, 2008