Ohio Materials Marketplace to Match Supply & Demand for Excess Materials : Platform to Recycle & Reuse Materials Online in Ohio Circular Economy Push

A new free online platform in Ohio is helping not-for-profit organisations and government departments to advertise and acquire potentially useful products and materials that might otherwise be destined for disposal in landfill.

The Ohio Materials Marketplace is aimed at allowing such organisations to connect and find solutions to material reuse and recycling needs.

“With statewide access to thousands of Ohio’s businesses, communities and other organisations, Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental & Financial Assistance (DEFA) is well positioned to bring members together in this modern online marketplace,” Director Butler explained.

He went on to add that the new new service positions Ohio as a leader in the circular economy, “helping remove materials from the waste stream, promoting jobs and allowing for better efficiency and savings in the processes of creating goods and services”.

Examples of materials posted on OMM (and their potential re-uses) include common items such as bulk wooden pallets (mulch base) or used bricks (building materials).

Other items might reflect materials from industrial processes such as spent foundry sand (to be mixed with potting soil), or specialized items such as spent hydro-treating catalyst (metals recovery).

Along with browsing for materials, users of OMM can post “wanted” items that might substitute for raw materials or other items members currently purchase. Examples of such requests that have been posted thus far include bulk alumina oxide (for metals harvesting/recovery) and bulk food waste in packaging (to be used for anaerobic

digestion/energy recovery).

Design

According to the organisation, what differentiates the Ohio Materials Marketplace from other online markets is that it is is active in design and functionality rather than passive.

It said that previous models (such as the Ohio Materials Exchange) and similar services in other states worked as a simple bulletin board with little or no engagement by the host.

Hpwever, the new OMM is maintained by Ohio EPA which markets the site to potential users, verifies that users (and items posted) meet qualifications to participate, and actively works to facilitate connections between users.

The site is also specifically designed as a business-to-business or business-to-community exchange for recyclables and reusable materials.

The program is being launched with support from the not-for-profit United States Business Council for Sustainable Development.

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