Online Exchange Potential Impact - Wrap

Table 4.3 (in Section 4.5) lists the material categories found on each of the above sites and
highlighted (in italics) are the categories that could potentially be aligned with the WRAP-based list
and the FRN-based list if required.
Table 6.7 contains a review of all the items listed on EastEx, irrespective of the regional location of
arising. A total of 534 items were listed and the vast majority of these are always present on the site
with no evidence of exchange. The items all appear to be regular by-products of contributors’
processes.
Table 6.7 EastEx total listings per category
Category Total
Listings
Category Total Listings
Batteries 1 Pallets 41
Building materials 16 Paper and card 58
Chemical liquids 12 Plant and equipment 7
Drums and containers 21 Plastic and rubber 111
Electricals and electronics 15 Putrescibles 2
Furniture and fittings 33 Textiles and clothing 55
Glass and ceramics 28 Vehicle parts 10
Metals 0 Wood and timber 64
Oils 5 Miscellaneous 55
Whereas non-commercial exchange sites (non-b2b) have a relatively high turnover of listings and
items, the b2b sites appear to have a significant volume of constant listings. This is due to the large
proportion of by-products listed which are produced at a steady rate. For example, one member of
EastEx appears to have a constant supply of pallets which are listed on EastEx (and potentially other
b2b sites), and the listing does not change irrespective of the rate of valid exchange. This means
proving the quantity of exchange is a difficult task and would require direct contact with producers,
which was not done for this study.
Table 6.8 shows the total listings currently available on SalvoMIE for England. This site is clearly a
small player in the sector, though this is unsurprising as it concentrates on unused raw materials.
Construction waste is covered by a wealth of regulation that could limit transfer and therefore the
total number of listings appearing on Salvo MIE. The cost of haulage is also likely to be very high in
relation to the value of the item listed.
The classic situation with business material exchange systems (online or otherwise) is that they have
relatively short lifespans. In the first period, many exchanges occur that put ‘producers’ in contact
with ‘users’; once these links have been established, the transaction continues in private, in a direct
b2b manner. Thus it is highly likely that the b2b sites monitored, if running for extended periods, are
left with more difficult materials that cannot be so readily exchanged.
Online Exchange Potential Impact 37