A work buddy of mine turned me on to the the Freecycle Network last week. Freecycle has been extensively blogged about (see here, here, and here for starters), but it’s certainly worth plugging again. Basically, Freecycle is a network of Yahoo Groups, based around cities and communities, where members post items to give away and request items to receive. Everything is freely given or received. That’s it! The idea is simple, but with more than 5.6 million members exchanging items, we’re keeping massive amounts of trash from going into city dumps…300 tons PER DAY, according to the Freecycle About Us page.
Items can be absolutely anything, from clothes to old doors to furniture to aquariums to pets that need a loving home. If you can’t use it any more, someone else probably can, which makes it perfect for posting on the Freecycle Network.
So before you decide to throw a bunch of stuff into the dumpster, take the time to post it on Freecycle and find everything a new home.
Freecycle was started by Deron Beal in 2003 and is a non-profit based in Tucson, Arizona.
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I have several friends around here who use this. He once got rid of a Honda Civic without an engine through it. Very useful for getting rid of something, or finding something free quickly… Without dealing with the hassle of selling it on Craig’s list.
My wife uses this all the time! In fact, we just got rid of two ironing boards, a CD rack, and two desks that were dump bound. Much better to give the stuff to someone who needs it rather than just throw it away. Great post!
I am so glad you introduced this to me! I have wanted to get rid of things in the past and called all of the local charities and no one would pick it up! In the future, if I have any furniture or electronics I need to give away, I know where I can go. Thank-you greenertrends!
This goes back to the necessity of the green movement being profit driven. People post stuff because they want to get rid of it, and certainly there’s a small amount of altruism there. But people also find items for free, instead of buying them new or wasting time buying a used one. This service raises individuals profit in a way, by allowing them to keep money and time they may have otherwise spent. I love Freecycle and Craigslist, but only a small portion of that is being green. Mostly it’s about saving money.
Drew: I think you are right in that the motive is self-interest and has little to do with wanting to be green. However, I would argue that the outcome is greener as a result of the significant decrease in waste (which would otherwise go to the dump). It really is about saving money, effort and time (and I think this is why it works so well), but I think that at the end of the day it really does help the environment too!
Drew, I have to respectfully disagree with that perspective. While some people might grab stuff off of Freecycle to re-sell, most folks are legit: I just scanned my Freecycle this morning and folks as posting WANT ads for things like old tennis rackets, wine racks, tupperware, pasta makers, and garden bricks. Not exactly top dollar items. Besides, the SPIRIT of Freecycle of definitely one of sustainability and eco-friendliness if you read anywhere on their site. Rob has a good point above, the more stuff that changes hands in your community, the less goes into a dump.
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Interesting article. I really like your blog overall. Really makes me think! Thanks!
I follow you always, this post is excellent.
Very good article, thank you!