Material Love: a New Way to Recycle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 11.25.06
We have covered Freecycle and the late lamented GarbageScout; Now we have another way of matching one person's garbage with somebody elses need. Materiallove was started by a group of web developers in Vancouver BC to help " North American residents and businesses find alternative ways to recycle and reduce waste. As an entirely free service, the materiallove network allows personal and business account members to buy, sell or exchange recyclable materials and used items with one another. From waste haulers to metal processors, local businesses that handle recyclable materials on a daily basis can list their profile for free in the materiallove business directory." It does not yet seem to have found its business market; items listed range from Laurie in Burnaby posting "Various small pieces of wood" and mike offering six bricks. , running the gamut to $750,000 house in Oakville Ontario that does not exactly look ready for the recycle bin. Nice looking and easy to use. In Beta and still mainly centered on BC; we wish it well and hope the business side catches on. ::Materiallove
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I don't see how this is really any more useful than Craigslist and/or Freecycle...
I disagree... There focus seems to be on recyclable materials and businesses involved in the recycling industry. Seems a bit different from Freecycle and Craigslist (which now looks like a dating site).
I agree with Rebecca. more intuitive and easier to use. business community can really benefit from this idea.
NY'ers should also try WasteMatch.Org when you HAVE or NEED used or surplus materials.
NY WasteMatch is a free materials exchange service sponsored by the NYC Dept of Sanitation. We help businesses get rid of unwanted materials WHILE helping nonprofits, start-ups, and artists get the materials they need. Materials exchanged include office furniture, computers, and building materials. We also handle a range of industrial discards such as pallets, textiles, saw dust, plastics (even, oyster shells).