Help
Home
 

Welcome to the NY Wa$teMatch Help page. This page contains basic information about NY Wa$teMatch's Web site, our services (Materials Exchange, Technical Assistance, and Research & Development), and answers to frequently asked questions. If you cannot find the information you need on this page, please submit your question by e-mail to help@wastematch.org.

GENERAL
Please enable cookies! The Materials Exchange uses cookies and a user name and password system to save you time during your visit and return visits. If your browser is set to not accept cookies, you will have to enter your user name and password repeatedly as you navigate the site. For more information on how we use cookies, see our Privacy Policy.

You can move around this Web site by using the navigation bar which is on top of each page.

MATERIALS EXCHANGE BASICS
 

Information for Buyers
Information for Sellers
How to create listings
How to be notified when new listings are posted
How to upload digital photos to listings
How to contact a lister about his/her listing
How to report a successful transaction
How to determine savings
How to request a waste assessment


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 

What is a materials exchange?
What’s the purpose of NY Wa$teMatch’s Materials Exchange?
What can users do with the Materials Exchange?
Which browser should I use when visiting the site?
Is information about users confidential?
Is there any charge to use NY Wa$teMatch’s Materials Exchange?
What if a listing I am interested in is listed as "Closed"?
Are contributions to NY Wa$teMatch tax deductible?
Is the Materials Exchange limited to New York City companies and organizations?
Who should use NY Wa$teMatch?
What can users list on the Materials Exchange?
How do I know if a material is classified as "hazardous"?
I have reusable waste materials but have no computer or Internet access.
How do I get started and how does it work?
Why doesn't my listing come up when I do a search?
Does NY Wa$teMatch take possession of, store, or transport materials?
Do you guarantee a result?
Can waste brokers, recyclers, and other professionals place listings on the Materials Exchange?
My waste doesn't fall into any of the waste categories. Under what category should I list it?
Do I have to report my transaction?
Can I receive additional assistance if my listing doesn't result in a transaction?
What is a nonprofit wish list?
Can anyone create a wish list?
How do I add materials to my wish list?
How do I report a donation for materials on my wish list?
How do I remove my posted listing(s)?


TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY
  Disclaimer
Privacy Policy
What this Privacy Policy covers
Information collection and use
Information sharing and disclosure
Cookies
Your ability to edit and delete your account information and preferences
Confidentiality and security
Changes to this privacy policy
Questions and suggestions

REGISTERING & MANAGING YOUR PROFILE
 

Why do I need to register?
What do I do if my application has not been accepted?
How do I update my personal information?
Does my password ever expire?
How do I change my password?
How do I change my user name?
How can I receive a reminder of my user name and password?
How do I unsubscribe to the mailing lists?
How do I close my user account?


MATERIALS EXCHANGE BASICS

How to create listings

Please read the Terms and Conditions and Disclaimer before adding a listing. To create a listing on the Materials Exchange, you will need to log in as a registered user and click on the "My Listings - Add New" link in the navigation menu on the left of the Welcome page. Then fill in the form (listing details explained below) and submit the listing. Once NYWM staff approves the listing, it will be activated/posted on the Material Exchange database.

 

Available/Wanted:Select Available (if you would like to offer a material) or Wanted (if you are seeking a material).

Material Name:Type the specific name of the material, such as "Pentium 4 CPU" for computer equipment or "Styrofoam Peanuts" for packaging materials.

Category: Listings are grouped into 17 material categories (i.e., Building Materials, Containers and Packaging, Glass, etc.). To select a material category for your listing, click on the downward arrow in the button bar and select the appropriate material category. For example, if you are searching for doors and windows, select the "Building Materials" material category. You can place a listing for only one material at a time. (Note: NY Wa$teMatch can only accept non-hazardous materials.)

Sub-Category: Listings are grouped into sub-categories within each main category (i.e., Brick, Stone, Tile; Lumber; Paint under Building Materials, etc.). To select a sub-category for your listing, click on the downward arrow in the button bar and select the appropriate material sub-category.

Description: Provide a detailed description of the material you are listing. Descriptions can be up to 100 characters long. The material description should include all specifications not covered by the other fields in the listing, as well as other information you want to include.

Initial Quantity: Enter the amount of available or wanted material.

Ongoing Quantity: Enter the amount of material that is available or wanted at regular intervals, e.g., weekly, monthly, every 4 months. If you do not enter a number, the default value is zero.

Volume/Weight: Click on the downward arrow in the button bar to select the unit of measure of the material. For example, if you have 120 tons of corrugated cardboard you should enter "120" in Initial Quantity and select "tons" for Volume/Weight.

Frequency of Availability or Need: Select from the list how often the material is available or wanted.

Condition of Material: Select the appropriate description from the drop down list.

Price: Indicate whether the material is free or if the price is negotiable. Enter the amount you are willing to pay for a wanted material or the asking price for the available materials.

Keep Listing Active for: Select the duration of the listing from the ranges in the drop down list.

Transportation: Specify whether you can pick up wanted materials or deliver available materials.

Notes: Indicate any other important information you want to include, such as how far you are willing to deliver or pick up materials. If you want to make a donation, you may specify who you want to receive the material such as nonprofit organizations, schools, housing providers, etc.

Your preference for where to post the material: Open Listings disclose the identity and contact information of the listing party. Registered users of the Materials Exchange may contact you directly about the material.

Closed Listings will show detailed information only about the material, not about the listing party. To get more information about Closed listings, individuals and organizations use the same blind contact form.

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How to be notified when new listings are posted?

A helpful feature to learn immediately when a new listing (both available/wanted) has been posted to our web site, is the email notification listserv. You can subscribe to this mailing list at Registration, by marking the ‘Email Me’ Checkbox on the registration form. If you are already registered, you can still sign-up by updating your account and marking that same check box. To do this, Login and select the option “Update My Profile” on the left-hand menu of the “My Account” page. Then, select the button “Edit Details,” which is located at the bottom of the page. Select all categories you are interested in receiving notices about by highlighting each material and then clicking “Add” until all materials are moved from the first box to the second. Mark the ‘Email Me’ Checkbox. After making changes, you will then need to re-enter your password and confirmation for security reasons. Once finished, select the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the page.

Note, if you're interested in the item in the email notification, log-in, and view all the listing details. If still interested in learning more information, send a listing request (see "How to contact a lister").

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How to upload digital photos to listings

At this time our web site does not have the feature allowing users to upload their photos themselves. However, if you have digital photos available, simply email them to photos@wastematch.org and the NYWM staff will upload them for you. Pictures are very helpful in moving the items on our Exchange.

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How to contact a lister about his/her listing

You must be a registered user. Login and click 'Search Listings' in the left-hand side navigation menu. Select your criteria for browsing materials or if you know the listing ID number enter it in the "Listing ID#" box as your search criteria - (i.e. 9991). Click the grey 'Search Results' button. On the Summary Results Page, click the view/magnifying glass icon in the View Column of the table. On the Detail Result Page, scroll down until the Contact Seller Form is visible. Fill in the form, providing your name, phone number, and email address. Click 'Send e-mail' link.

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How to report a successful transaction

To report a completed transaction, send an e-mail message to success@wastematch.org with the Item Listing ID #, the individual items including quantity transacted, and the values saved/earned because of this transaction.

If you are the poster of the listing that has been transacted we prefer that you to create a transaction record yourself. To do this, Log in, under ‘My Transactions’, click Add New Transaction. To select the listing you want to report, click “Transact” in its row. Select the name of the other user you transacted with (may be listed by organization name). Enter the correct quantity of materials transacted. And estimates of the saving/earnings values. If you have any questions during this process, feel free to contact the NY Wa$teMatch staff at 212-650-5832.

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How to determine savings

The table below shows how to calculate savings for completed transactions:

Generators and Sellers
 Disposal cost savings    Applies only if material placed through 
 NY Wa$teMatch was previously
 discarded, or if you had planned to  
 plus  
 Revenue  Applies if the user paid for the material  
 equals  
 Total generator value  

Users and Buyers
 Original or expected  
 purchase cost
 Calculation applies if material sourced  
 through NY Wa$teMatch replaces one 
 you previously purchased or had  
 planned to purchase at higher cost 
 minus 
 Actual purchase cost 
 equals 
 Total user value 

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How to request a waste assessment

You can request a waste assessment by filling out our online assessment form or by by contacting NY Wa$teMatch at info@wastematch.org or 212-650-5832. You can also fax a request to 212-650-6272.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a materials exchange?

A materials exchange is a service that facilitates the use of one company's unwanted or discarded material as another's raw material. A materials exchange helps producers and end-users of a variety of materials to find one another and serves as a clearinghouse of information about available surplus, by-products, and used or otherwise unwanted durable discards.

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What’s the purpose of NY Wa$teMatch’s Materials Exchange?

NY Wa$teMatch helps businesses and organizations reduce their disposal costs by finding alternatives to traditional disposal for industrial byproducts and other unwanted durable goods.

NY Wa$teMatch operates the Materials Exchange in order to gather and disseminate information about available and wanted materials to a large number of potential producers and end-users, and thereby match up these parties and coordinate transactions.

Using the Materials Exchange helps individuals and organizations to generate revenue and obtain materials for less than standard market prices. NY Wa$teMatch also uses the Materials Exchange to facilitate donations of furniture, appliances, electronic equipment, and other durable discards from NYC residents and institutions to needy organizations.

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What can users do with the Materials Exchange?

Registered users of NY Wa$teMatch’s Materials Exchange are able to:

  • List surplus, expired, obsolete, or otherwise unwanted durable waste materials and items that they would like to sell, trade, or give away;
  • Post requests for materials and equipment they would like to purchase or receive;
  • Search and then contact the listings for available or wanted materials to find supplies of materials; and,

Users can search for materials and goods in specific geographic areas. Materials and goods in the Materials Exchange are listed in several broad categories. Miscellaneous or hard-to-classify items can be located using keyword searches, and the entire database can be browsed freely.

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Which browser should I use when visiting the site?

Currently our web site is optimized for MS Internet Explorer 6.0. Visitors using other browser software like Firefox, Netscape, and Safari have reported having trouble using the site. If possible please use IE as your web browser when visiting our site. Otherwise you may experience problems when using our site.

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Is information about users confidential?

Yes. The identities of users are known to NY Wa$teMatch and are shared with other users only by mutual consent. NY Wa$teMatch will not sell the names or addresses of Materials Exchange users.

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Is there any charge to use NY Wa$teMatch’s Materials Exchange?

Listing materials on the Materials Exchange is free - there is no risk!

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What if a listing I am interested in is listed as "Closed"?

Closed Listings will show detailed information only about the material, not about the listing party. To get more information about Closed listings, individuals and organizations use the same blind contact form. Closed is not in reference to the item's availability status.

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Are contributions to NY Wa$teMatch tax deductible?

NY Wa$teMatch, a project of the Materials Exchange Development Program, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Direct contributions to NY Wa$teMatch are tax deductible. However, items listed on the Materials Exchange and on the Nonprofit Wish List are not considered donations to NY Wa$teMatch.

If a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization receives a material through an exchange facilitated by NY Wa$teMatch, then the donor may receive a tax deduction for the donation. Costs incurred while making the donation, such as material transportation costs, may also be deductible.

NY Wa$teMatch cannot recommend values for donated items. Please consult a professional tax advisor to determine the tax benefits of donating materials.

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Is the Materials Exchange limited to New York City companies and organizations?

Although the Materials Exchange is primarily for users in New York City, anyone can list or solicit materials.

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Who should use NY Wa$teMatch?

Any of the following organizations and people can benefit from using the Materials Exchange:

  • Manufacturing and industrial businesses
  • Environmental professionals responsible for managing waste streams
  • Purchasing managers
  • Operations personnel responsible for optimizing manufacturing efficiency
  • Design engineers in a position to specify alternative materials for process
  • Waste management consultants
  • Waste brokers
  • Commercial building managers
  • Non-profit organizations in need
  • Residents

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What can users list on the Materials Exchange?

All forms of non-hazardous industrial byproducts, waste, excess, surplus, off-spec, expired, spent, or unused durable materials can be listed on the Materials Exchange. Hazardous or contaminated materials cannot be listed on the Materials Exchange. Household and office goods that have been traded on the Materials Exchange include furniture, appliances, and computers.

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How do I know if a material is classified as "hazardous?"

Different states have different methods for classifying hazardous materials. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provides information about the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous materials.

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I have reusable waste materials but have no computer or Internet access.

Please contact us by phone (212-650-5832), fax (212-650-6272), or mail (NY Wa$teMatch, c/o CCNY Steinman Hall, Rm 102, 140th Street & Convent Avenue, NY, NY 10031) to list an Available or Wanted material.

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How do I get started and how does it work?

If you are simply looking for materials, you can search the Materials Exchange without registering. In order to view all available information about a listing (including digital photos if posted), you will need to register as a user of the site, then log in with your user name and password.

There are two types of listings listed on the Materials Exchange: Open Listings and Closed Listings.

Open Listings disclose the identity and contact information of the listing party. Registered users of the Materials Exchange may contact you directly about the material.

Closed Listings will show detailed information only about the material, not about the listing party. To get more information about Closed listings, individuals and organizations use the same blind contact form. Registered users can create and manage material listings, search listings, view all details of a listing, and contact the poster of a listing using the Materials Exchange.

Interested parties will decide on the arrangements for the transfer of material(s). All terms of the transaction (e.g., cost, shipping, etc.) must be settled between the transacting parties.

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Why doesn't my listing come up when I do a search?

Any listing you have posted will NOT be returned in search results based on the logic of the search algorithm. To view your listings, once logged in, in the left-hand menu, under ‘My Listings’, click ‘View/Manage’.

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Does NY Wa$teMatch take possession of, store, or transport materials?

NY Wa$teMatch does not take possession of, store, or transport materials.

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Do you guarantee a result?

No. Some materials are easy to place or find, while others are more challenging. It can take as little as one week or as long as several months for a listing to result in a completed transaction. If your listing is time-sensitive, be sure to put an expiration date on your listing. You can also edit your listings as quantities change or remove them if the listed materials are no longer available or needed.

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Can waste brokers, recyclers, and other professionals place listings on the Materials Exchange?

Yes. NY Wa$teMatch works with waste generators and users of all types, including intermediaries.

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My waste doesn't fall into any of the waste categories. Under what category should I list it?

Select "Materials Not Elsewhere Classified" from the list of categories.

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Do I have to report my transaction? If so, how?

Yes. It is important for NY Wa$teMatch to track completed transactions so that we can measure the impact our program has on waste management. Our measurements include number of successful transactions, the quantities of materials diverted from landfills, and the amount of money saved or earned through disposal and procurement. Reporting transactions also ensures that listings remain accurate and current.

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Can I receive additional assistance if my listing doesn't result in a transaction?

Please contact NY Wa$teMatch directly. We can provide limited hands-on technical assistance to match your material or request with a trading counterpart.

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What is a nonprofit wish list?

It is a list of materials that nonprofit organizations and schools would like to have. It is useful for telling companies, individuals, and other nonprofits and schools about what they need. View materials in the nonprofit wish list.

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Can anyone create a wish list?

The wish list is only for nonprofit organizations and schools.

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How do I add materials to my wish list?

You need to be logged in to add materials to your wish list. Simply complete the form and click "Submit." You can remove materials from the wish list any time by sending an e-mail message to wishlist@wastematch.org

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How do I report a donation for materials on my wish list?

Send an e-mail message to wishlist@wastematch.org containing details of the donation.

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How do I remove my posted listing(s)?

Log in. Then, in the left-hand menu, under ‘My Listings’, click ‘View/Manage’.
Click on ‘Manage Listings’ to display all of your current listings. Click on the magnifying glass to display the complete listing information for the listing you wish to remove. Click the ‘Edit’ button to update the listing information. When you click the remove button, the ‘Remove Form’ screen appears. If you select any of the No options, you are finished and your listing has been removed. If you select Yes, the Create a transaction screen appears. (see Adding New Transactions)

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REGISTERING & MANAGING YOUR PROFILE

Why do I need to register?

To assure the legitimacy of our users you must register with us in order to buy, sell, or donate materials through NY Wa$teMatch.

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What do I do if my account has been suspended due to inactivity?

You may call NY Wa$teMatch at 212-650-5832 or send an e-mail message to help@wastematch.org and request a review of your registration and a renewal of your account.

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How do I update my personal information?

You may update your personal information by going to Update My Profile on the My Account page. You may also call NY Wa$teMatch at 212-650-5832 or send an e-mail message to help@wastematch.org with your updated information. It is your responsibility to keep your account information up to date.

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Does my password ever expire?

No, your password will never expire. If your password has been compromised, you must inform us immediately, and we can change it for you. It is your responsibility to secure the password from others.

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How do I change my password?

You may change your password by going to Update My Profile on the My Account page. You may also call NY Wa$teMatch at 212-650-5832 or send an e-mail message to help@wastematch.org.

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How do I change my user name?

You cannot change your user name. If you must change your user name, you should contact the NY Wa$teMatch at 212-650-5832.

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How can I receive a reminder of my user name and password?

If you have forgotten your password, we can send you a reminder. You should send an e-mail message to NY Wa$teMatch at help@wastematch.org if you have forgotten both your user name and password.

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How do I unsubscribe to the mailing lists?

If you wish to stop receiving emails about new listing notifications and/or our newsletter, fill out and submit our unsubscribe form. Please note our Material Exchange system is based on automatic email communications, if you wish to no longer receive any emails of any kind, you must close your account.

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How do I close my user account?

If you wish to stop using our Material Exchange service entirely, send a request via email to accounts@wastematch.org. Any listing(s) you currently have posted on our web site will be removed, your email address will be removed from our mailing lists, and your log-in information will be deactivated. If you decide in the future to re-open your account, contact NY Wa$teMatch at 212-650-5832. Thanks for using the NY Wa$teMatch Material Exchange.

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