Some enterprising Brooklynite was clearly inspired on Friday afternoon to host a really good Memorial Day weekend barbecue — the best kind of barbecue, in fact, the kind someone else pays for.

“Need grill, charcoal, top-quality hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken (only breast) and steaks,” he posted on the Brooklyn forum of Freecycle.org, a site where people offer their unwanted goods free of charge and others request goods they’d like to own free of charge. “Also need fixings like chips, drinks, salads and other sides. Not to mention beach towels, blankets, folding chairs, etc.” (By “etc.,” perhaps he meant old friends, good times and a high of 72.)

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MY NEW ADDICTION is freecycle. If you haven’t tried it, the principle is simple: like eBay, only without the money. You join an online group in your local area, and, miraculously, you will discover that people really desire the things you no longer need or want. More dangerously, of course, you may see things that you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them (Whoopi Goldberg DVDs, anyone?), which is rather too much like that ancient pastime called “shopping” for my taste.

The real side benefit of Freecycle, however, is one that I hadn’t expected - and that is a restoration of my faith in human nature. Last Saturday in The Times, Janice Turner wrote - quite rightly - about the way that Londoners in particular seem to live in a state of semi-suppressed rage, always on the brink of screaming obscenities at each other for almost any reason. Well, if you’re looking for an antidote, freecycle’s the one. Yes, of course you have to be a bit careful, but basically, use your nous and suddenly you discover that it’s quite possible to have happy interactions and worthwhile conversations with people you might otherwise glare at on the bus.

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Karen Bryant, recycling coordinator for Pasco County schools, knows a thing or two about the 3 R’s for being environmentally friendly: reduce, reuse and recycle. Just ask other experts. Over the years, her department has won the 2008 American Forest and Paper Association schoolwide recycling award, the 2006 Recycle Florida Today Outstanding Waste Reduction Award and several other honors. Here are 10 tips from Bryant on how to make your life a little more green.

1Downsize your disposables. Use your favorite coffee mug, plates, bowls and utensils to reduce your disposables.

2Use both sides of a piece of paper.

3Consider the products and packaging you use. Eliminate any extra waste beforehand and buy recycled content products.

4Recycle newspapers at local schools or recycling centers.

5Carry a recycling container with you and save recyclable items until they can be recycled appropriately.

6Don’t litter.

7Reduce your waste: Purchase refillable products such as laundry soap and cleaning supplies.

8Cancel unnecessary unsolicited mail and magazine or journal subscriptions.

9Reduce your use of plastic bags by using canvas bags, cloth bags or other reusable bags.

10Reuse: Your trash may be someone else’s treasure. Donate reusable materials to a reuse center or sites such as FreeCycle.org.

The mango season is upon us, and the juicy tropical fruit arrives just in time to help slake your thirst in summer heat.

If you’ve got a tree, you know the drill - they’re all ripe at about the same time, so you have to freeze them or lose them. (Or may we suggest you give them away at www.freecycle.org?)

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Miss Cook said the show had been a big hit with the public so far.

She said: “We have had a really positive response from the public. A lot of people walking by have been stopping to ask what it is all about.

“There are lots of places people can take their unwanted furniture, or get things they need cheaply.

Some of this furniture is from the Freecycle website, other parts are from the British Heart Foundation second-hand shop and others are from the reuse areas at recycling centres.”

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19:00 On my way back from the allotment I make a quick detour to pick up a stool. I had logged on to freecycle.org because it has details of people looking to give away things for free in your area. I’m in the process of furnishing my flat and can do with all the help I can get — especially if it costs me nothing.

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DO you have a bicycle or guitar sitting at home doing nothing? Don’t waste its potential is the message from a new group in west and north Wiltshire.

The Freecycle Network helps people within the district and beyond to give their unwanted items to a good home instead of sending them to landfill.

Freecycle groups have been set up in Trowbridge, Melksham, Warminster, Bradford on Avon and Chippenham.

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Most charities accept a variety of items, even rags in case you didn’t know (they sell them for 25 cents a pound). Clothes, electronics, small appliances, furniture – call your charity of choice and ask them. If they don’t accept what you need to get rid of, there is always Freecycle (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humble-KingwoodTXFreecycle/).

It is a very simple concept. If you need something, or want to get rid of something, you just announce it on the site. You are not selling or buying anything, just giving it away or getting it for free. You will be surprised with items that people will take from you – old doors, fences, electronics that no longer work, broken fans…

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Melbourne households have embraced recycling but not so much is known about how we tackle the arguably more important area of reuse. What do we do with items we no longer need or cannot store? Scouring hard-rubbish bins has become a suburban ritual in those areas that still have regular collections; Lane says many respondents did not realise that if their contribution was not taken by neighbours it would end up in landfill. She believes there is a latent community willingness to dispose of items more responsibly but that many do not know how to do this.

The survey asked: how did you dispose of used household goods in the past two years? Ninety-five per cent reported reusing materials such as plastic bags in the home; 82% used hard-rubbish collections; 74% gave items to friends and relatives; 73% gave to op shops; 57% used charity bins; 46% used door-knock appeals. The remainder took items to the tip, hired skips or used the internet site Freecycle which encourages people to give goods away as a means of helping others and building community (the Melbourne Freecycle website is the second most active outside North America where the concept began; only the London site is bigger).

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THE library in Winsford is hosting a variety of clubs and societies during Adult Learners’ Week (May 19 to May 24).

There will be a number of stalls at the library in the High Street, including Health through Harmony - Yoga, tai chi, reiki and reflexology, Monday, May 19; the Mid Cheshire Camera Club, Tuesday, May 20; HomeStart, Thursday, May 22; FreeCycle, a local Ebay where no money changes hands, Friday, May 23; the Vale Royal Art Group, Saturday, May 24.

The stalls will operate from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

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