New York Biomass Trader is back

Mar. 1, 2012, New York, NY – Reuse Alliance, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Finance Center (EFC), announces the re-launch of NY Biomass Trader (www.biomasstrader.org/ny).

This free virtual marketplace connects producers and consumers of organic materials to enable organizations to turn organic waste into profit rather than spending time and money on disposal. By diverting these materials from landfills, NY Biomass Trader gives organic waste a second life as compost, fertilizer, energy, and more.

NY Biomass Trader offers New York State businesses a free and easy-to-use web platform that enables trading of biomass materials and biomass-derived products. In addition, NY Biomass Trader now provides improved customer service for those businesses without internet access. With help from its partners, Reuse Alliance hired a Site Administrator to facilitate biomass exchanges and promote the website on a broader scale. The Site Administrator will be available to users by phone at (518) 635-0874 or by email at nybiomasstrader@reusealliance.org.

Materials to be exchanged on the website include biomass materials such as: food scraps from restaurants, landscaping waste, residue from food and wood processing, farming waste, and biomass-derived products such as: soil amendments (compost, mulch, fertilizer), liquid fuels (biodiesel), and solid fuels (biochar, wood pellets).

The website is easy to start using. Newcomers to NY Biomass Trader can quickly create an account and post listings for materials they want give or receive. Users can sell, barter, or donate materials.

"In addition to providing a free materials exchange service, the website offers directories with biomass-related services such as biogas equipment, sustainability consultants, and compost educators and the latest biomass news. The website is on its way to becoming a one-stop resource for NY‚s biomass community." says MaryEllen Etienne, Executive Director of Reuse Alliance. 

Dale Carpenter of EPA Region 2 adds, "Partnering with Reuse Alliance allows us to support a reuse and recycling infrastructure that is leading New York towards energy-independence, an improved environment, and a stronger economy. We're happy to be part of this effort."

"The Environmental Finance Center is thrilled to partner and collaborate with New York Biomass Trader, which keeps reusable and recyclable materials out of the waste stream while creating new economic value," says Sara Pesek of EFC Region 2. "As a tool that advocates for and promotes sustainable materials management in New York State, EFC is proud to be engaged with this project," she says.