About Materials Exchanges

A material exchange is an operation that enables industrial process wastes, by-products, surpluses, or materials that do not meet specifications to be transferred from one company to another company where they are used as a process input.

Frequently Asked Questions about Materials Exchange Operations

The FAQ is currently under development. Would you like to submit a question or comment? Use our contact form.

Materials Exchange Conferences

Since 1983, every 2-3 years, materials exchange managers from all over the country gather together to share information with each other. To learn more, visit our managers page.

The opening presentation for the 2005 conference is available:

• 2005 National Materials Exchange Conference Welcome

These previous materials exchange conference proceedings are also available online:

• March 1983 (116 pages)
• March 1985 (134 pages)
• March 1986 (154 pages)
• March 1987 (142 pages)
• May 1988 (220 pages)
• September 1992 (349 pages)

Additional Materials Exchange Documents

These additional documents have been converted to electronic format for this web site:

• 1976: Waste Clearinghouses and Exchanges: New Ways for Identifying and Transferring Reusable Industrial Process Wastes (EPA: SW-130c) (157 pages)
• 1979: Florida Waste Exchange Study (356 pages)
• 1980: Waste Exchanges: Background Information (EPA: SW-887) (196 pages)
• 1982: Industrial Waste Exchange: A Mechanism for Saving Energy and Money (Agonne National Laboratory: US DOE) (52 pages)
• 1994: Review of Industrial Waste Exchanges (EPA-530-K-94-003) (70 pages)
• 2000: Waste Exchanges: An Exploratory U.S. Survey (27 pages)

Database of Operating Materials Exchanges

You can view, sort and download the entire materials exchange database.