Local Government Challenges, Opportunities, and Tips

Local Government Challenges and Opportunities
Tips for Replication

Local Government Challenges and Opportunities

The Last Chance is a good example of reuse and salvage facilities that may be implemented by local governments in a variety of ways. Last Chance was based on the example of Urban Ore in Berkeley, which started salvaging at the landfill, then at the transfer station. Individuals are now the most common users of the facility, who visit Urban Ore before they dispose of their wastes. Local governments could encourage similar reuse and salvaging activities in a number of ways, including:

1. Promoting existing reuse, thrift, repair, and salvage businesses with guides, listings, advertisements, and referrals. These should include businesses in the following standard industrial classification (SIC) codes:

Tire retreaders (SIC 7534)
Motor vehicle parts (SIC 5015)
Thrift stores (SIC 5932)
Used car lots (SIC 5511)
Radio and TV repair shops (SIC 7378)
Refrigeration and air conditioning repair (SIC 7623)
Electrical and electronic repair (SIC 7629)
Watch, clock, and jewelry repair (SIC 7631)
Re-upholstery and furniture repair (SIC 7641)
Welding repair (SIC 7692)
Armature rewinding shops (SIC 7694)
Auto repair shops (SIC 7532-7539)
Other repair shops not classified above (SIC 7699)

2. Working with telephone directory services to cross-reference reuse and repair businesses in recycling directories now commonly included in the “community services” section of phone directories.

3. Organizing communitywide “garage sales.”

4. Developing local material exchange listings, like the California Materials Exchange (CALMAX) which lists free materials available in 15 categories. These include containers, electronics, pallets, and textiles.

5. Encouraging creative reuse projects and warehouses that assist companies with excess inventories of materials to donate them to schools and nonprofit groups to make into art and other creative products. The donor companies then receive tax deductions.

6. Targeting reuse and repair industries as candidates for local business assistance programs, grants, loans, and job training assistance.

7. Adopting general plans and zoning ordinances that encourage reuse, thrift, repair, and salvage businesses. Consider encouraging such businesses to locate near each other, and promote the region informally as a “reuse and recycling zone.”

8. Exempting or decrease local business taxes and/or fees to encourage reuse, thrift, repair, and salvage businesses to grow.

9. Including reuse of salvaged goods as a priority for community cleanups (see “Community Cleanups: Models for Local Government Recycling and Waste Reduction,” CIWMB Publication #310-02-005).

10. Offering materials collected at household hazardous waste events to others to take for free (for example, latex paints and household pesticides).

11. Locating reuse and salvage operations at transfer stations and landfills.

Tips for Replication

Place reuse and salvage areas by transfer stations and landfills at a location before the gate where disposal fees are paid, to provide economic incentive to reuse materials and goods.
Require contractors that operate transfer stations and landfills to provide reuse and salvage services (either by contract or solid waste or local land use permit conditions). Establish these sites publicly or make available land (preferably at low or no cost) for entrepreneurial reuse businesses to be located next to transfer stations and landfill sites.
Identify what types of reuse, thrift, repair, and salvage businesses exist in your area, and ask them what might help them most to expand and promote their operations.

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Last updated: October 26, 2007

Local Government Central http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/LGCentral/
Larry N. Stephens: lstephen@ciwmb.ca.gov (916) 341-6241