Lumber, tiles, doors, carpeting or other surplus building materials are now available on the Internet. The Reusable Building Materials Exchange Website is a new and easy way to sell or give away reusable building materials and reduce waste in the region’s landfills.

Each listing on the Reusable Building Materials Exchange contains a description of the items along with a contact name, telephone number, e-mail address and any cost or delivery information. Residents and contractors can list reusable building materials at no charge. Listed materials can be offered for a price or for free. The address is: dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/rbme. Actual transactions are carried out between the listing party and the party that wants the materials. The person posting the materials determines the number of days the listings remain on the Web.

"Nationwide, construction and demolition waste consumes about a third of our landfill capacity," said Rod Hansen, manager of the Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Division. "By sponsoring this new Website, we make it easier for people to extend the life of perfectly good building materials rather than throwing the materials away."

King County’s Website is in cooperation with the Energy Outreach Center in Olympia. The Exchange also offers listings for Pierce, Thurston and Mason counties.

King County takes no responsibility for the results of any of the transactions. Industrial materials such as chemicals, solvents, laboratory chemicals, and machinery cannot be listed on the Reusable Building Materials Exchange but can be listed with IMEX, the Industrial Materials Exchange. The RBME Website provides convenient links to IMEX on the Internet, along with links to other regional RBME sites.

Updated: December 3, 1998