Starting business can be an exciting thing, especially when surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurs. In the business park that caters to our business, we have neighbors in wireless, computer parts, toys company and machine shops. Each business is different and along the line, produces different kinds of waste or shall I say, treasure? Many business practices the Japanese shop management of “5S” or Toyota’s JIT. These continuous improvement methods are boosting worker efficiency and cutting down cycle time all along. Besides the management gain of these methods on shop floor, they also call for a swift judgement of material deposition, a judgment that sometimes produces a lot of waste. Just take a look of your neighborhood recycle dumpster, here is a shot from one in bayside.

Luckily businesses in California have a free service called “The California Material Exchange” or “CALMAX“. (CALMAX) is a free service provided by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). The program’s goal is to help businesses, industry, residents, and others locate markets for usable materials that would otherwise be discarded. According to the CIWMB, “the concept behind CALMAX is simple: materials discarded by one business can be a resource for another business”. In another word, Calmax works the way much like Craigslist, where businesses publish want and available ad, except for the ad only for recyclable materials.Their slogan says it all: CalMAX…a simple idea. “One business’s trash is another business’s treasure.” Businesses, schools, and nonprofits can utilize CalMAX to search for available and wanted materials.

If your business like to start a recycle program, Calmax would be your first step to publish surplus or need information. One area that does need some attention since Calmax is a state-wide system, so be more geo-targetting as possible. You don’t want to end up picking from places 50 miles away and spend money on gas. To put this in perspective, leave contact number, what you need (need specifics) or have, best time to call, and business location in your ads. Add a side note as to what you will do to these reusable materials can certainly help donors decide the fit.