Letter printed on page 11 of the Jacksonville Journal-Courier on Wednesday May 10, 2006

Freecycle to a Cleaner Tomorrow

To the editor:

I read a comment recently in the Open Line from someone who asked where the
citywide cleanup went. I myself have wondered the same thing. My suspicion
is that money may have something to do with it. (Doesn’t it always come down
to money?)

However, rather than grumble and complain and see nothing happen to change
the fact that people are cluttering up their yards-and our landfills-with
“stuff”, I and others in the Jacksonville community have taken a different
tack.

We have found a way on our own to help decrease the waste in our town while
keeping still-useful items out of Illinois landfills at the same time-in a
manner that costs neither the city nor us any money: We became part of the
Freecycle Network.

The Freecycle Network is a nation-wide, grassroots movement of
environmentally friendly people whose mission is to keep still-useable items
out of their respective community’s over-burdened landfills. The
organization is made up of people who understand that one person’s trash may
well be another’s treasure. They freely offer the things they or someone
they know no longer wants or needs to others in their community, via their
respective local group’s easy-to-use online message forum.

There are more than 3,500 Freecycle groups in existence, with over 2.1 total
registered members-and the Network has only recently celebrated it’s 3rd
birthday!

In Jacksonville alone, hundreds of items, ranging from bikes to beds,
packing peanuts to planters, and clothing to couches have been successfully
exchanged as a result of the Freecycle Network. What’s more, every one of
those items has been totally free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

If you’d be interested in becoming a part of the Freecycle Network-whether
for yourself or on someone else’s behalf-all you need is internet access and
an email address. Log in to www.freecycle.org to find your nearest group,
and get ready to start cleaning up the town!

Kymberly Deem

Jacksonville