It used to be true that nothing in life was for free. That is, until freecycle.org was born.
The idea is to exchange items you no longer want and need with others (and vice versa) - for free! You select a group of people in your area, sign up to be on their e-mail list, and then you post the things you have to give away, while simultaneously sifting through your e-mail for someone else’s junk that you view as treasure.
If you’re like me, every week you faithfully set out your recycling bin next to the garbage, trying to do your part in saving the earth. You put in the cans, bottles, newspapers, cardboard and scrap paper; maybe if you’re really ambitious, you have a green waste container and a motor oil receptacle, too.
But then you wonder: What in the world do I do with all this other stuff?
Yahoo has unveiled an Earth Day initiative to divert mountains of landfill trash, using the Internet to match people unloading “junk” with those that want the stuff.
Yahoo is hoping to convince its 500 million users worldwide to join Freecycle.org, a nonprofit devoted to finding new homes for just about anything people are getting rid of.
Karen Letrendre treats every day like Earth Day. She’s a regular participant in several conservation programs and supports web sites that offer a free exchange of unwanted items like www.freecycle.org.
She gets frustrated seeing garbage all over Taunton. “It’s just loaded with trash,” Letrendre said.
Ellen Hansen was also one of several volunteers unhappy with other people’s tolerance for public trash. She said the excuse: “Somebody else is always going to do it,” is too prevalent when it comes to litter.
“I don’t think people realize how much one cup, two cups adds up,” she said.
“Not even one hour later, four people e-mailed me saying they would give me a bike for my daughter,” said the Homewood mother of two, who didn’t pay a penny for the used item.
“Last summer I started Freecycle and I think it’s the greatest thing. If they had a Freecycle T-shirt, I’d wear it.”
Freegans, in principle, recycle as much as possible. It is in their ethic to compost and repair broken things and use sustainable transport where possible. Freecycle.org is a site where you can find fellow Freegans advertising unwanted goods in your town. This can range from TVs to beds to children’s clothes. However, everything must be offered for free. Services such as these can help to reduce landfill and the energy wasted in the construction of new items. Cardiff has a particularly active and successful group.
But Freecycle has given me riches far beyond the material. I’ve met a saintly foster mom (and actually cried when she was told she couldn’t adopt one of the children), and several delightful junkster shut-ins who, miraculously, wanted chit-chat as much as I did. My husband secretly arranged to pick up a decade’s worth of old New Yorkers for me, surely the most romantic thing he has done since cutting little heart-shaped pork chops for me for Valentine’s Day circa 2000 (apologies to the vegans among you Freegans).
Items such as furniture, white goods, and TVs can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre free of charge (located in Cholmley Way in the Stainsacre Lane Industrial Estate).
You could also donate good quality unwanted items to your local charity shop or give them to friends or family for reuse.
There are also lots of online options, such as Freecycle or eBay, to help you pass on your unwanted items to others.
Even if you think your item is passed its best, there is always someone who will find a use.
TEACHER Martin Luke is proud of his `rubbish’ classroom.
Mr Luke, science teacher at Holy Family College in Heywood, Rochdale, has used the philosophy `one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ and for the past year he has used the worldwide recycling scheme Freecycle to kit out the class.
An excellent electronic alternative to on-line auctions is freecycle.org. On this site, you list your items and people who need them call or email you. This is also a good place to get what you need for free.
Freecycle membership is free and there are freecycle groups in or near most cities. This site is dedicated to keeping usable items out of landfills.
Another way to reduce what you discard is to get creative. Many items have more than one use if you just use some imagination. If you are not good with creative thinking, check out craft sites and ask other people for ideas.
There will be items you need to discard. Thinking green with your garbage is important. Recycle items such as paper, plastic, glass, metal and aluminum.
Keep all items in their original labeled containers. Labels should have instructions on how to properly dispose of the contents.
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