The NYC Materials Exchange Development Program

MEDP Programs & Services

MEDP aims to help local materials exchanges and reuse centers become more sustainable in the long term by providing the following programs and services:

Research & Development

MEDP has completed the first phase of its “Materials Exchange Assessment Project,” a comprehensive assessment and analysis of materials exchange and reuse activities being carried out in New York City. This study is capturing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data, and the analysis will highlight trends, common constraints, and potential solutions. The resulting report will be shared at our fall 2007 Materials Exchange Conference. To follow dynamic changes in the reuse field, MEDP plans to carry out small-scale assessments of local materials exchanges on an ongoing basis.

MEDP is also considering undertaking a variety of research projects in the future. Among them are studies that will evaluate the environmental impact of diverting materials from the waste stream through materials reuse and exchanges and assessing the feasibility of implementing an online materials exchange for the City University of New York.

Facilitating Materials Exchange through NY Wa$teMatch

MEDP operates NY Wa$teMatch, a NYC Department of Sanitation-funded citywide materials exchange program targeting NYC businesses and nonprofit organizations. NY Wa$teMatch offers solid-waste reduction and environmentally preferable purchasing assistance, and conducts informal research and development projects.

Educational Opportunities

MEDP’s on-campus educational opportunities include Sustainable CCNY, a campus club that promotes environmental sustainability at CCNY. In addition, CCNY’s Engineering Department will offer an undergraduate course in fall 2007 covering waste minimization in the commercial and industrial sectors through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling strategies, as well as analysis of state-of-the-art technologies.

Onsite Resource Library

MEDP is developing a library of information resources about materials recovery and reuse. A sample of onsite resources currently available include books, trade magazines, guides, toolkits, local materials-exchange leaflets, event advertising, and newsletters. In the future, MEDP will offer a host of additional online resources to complement its onsite library. These resources will include electronic presentations and reports, as well as the results of MEDP’s ongoing materials exchange sector research and analysis. Additionally, MEDP will offer a searchable database of local reuse/materials-exchange options.

Materials Exchange Conference

On November 5th 2008, MEDP will host the 2nd annual NYC Materials Exchange Conference to discuss the success stories and many challenges local materials exchanges and reuse/donation programs are facing. The agenda of this invitation-only conference is under development.

Technical Assistance

MEDP intends to act as a one-stop resource for reuse organizations in the NYC area—providing business support and training in areas such as marketing and fundraising, and offering networking opportunities.