If you haven’t already come across Freecycle, the online recycling network - one of the biggest green initiatives of the past decade - it is a global network of message boards, with more than 450 groups in the UK. The beauty of it is that it transforms one person’s trash into another’s treasure.

You sign up to your local group, where you can post messages to say what you’re offering, or looking for. No money changes hands and it’s up to the person who wants an item to collect it, so you don’t have to stress about how you’re going to heave an unwanted futon out of your home.

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Right ways to recycle

1. Not every recycling center can process all items. Most take No. 1 and No. 2 plastic containers, but items with higher numbers require special equipment that many facilities still lack. Other places may be able to process used motor oil, batteries, fertilizer and more. Get details at Earth911.com.

2. Don’t deposit recyclables in plastic bags. The bags tend to clog up machinery and must be removed manually. Instead, empty the contents directly into the recycling bin.

3. Save your drain. Pouring hazardous waste (such as medicines, used oil and cleaning products) down the drain sends those contaminants into the water supply. Check with your local collection agency to see whether it sponsors a program for the periodic collection of pesticides, paint, car products, etc.

4. E-cycle. Old computers and other electronics can leach lead and mercury into the soil and water supply. Several major chains — Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and similar stores — recycle computers, ink cartridges, cellphones and more. Be sure to remove any personal data beforehand to avoid identity theft.

5. Give old items a new owner. Your non-recyclable “trash” may be someone else’s treasure. Sell it via a classified ad, or give it away on Freecycle.org.

Out with the old
Not only did the Sathers purchase an array of appliances with Energy Star ratings for energy savings, but they also donated their old appliances, fixtures and even doors to Habitat for Humanity and the Builders’ Association collections for towns hit by tornados. During construction, they recycled all metal, plastic and cardboard and gave away many materials on freecycle.org, a website on which anyone can donate materials that somebody else might find useful.

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Locally, join the Swindon Freecycle Network http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swindon_freecycle/. You can recycle unwanted items rather than throw them away – and as well offering items, you can request them too.

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DEAR ABBY: Freecycle ( www.freecycle.org) is a great online group of people who give and take instead of throwing things out. — J.C. in Newington, Conn.

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Mr Greig even got his canoe from website www.freecycle.org, which gives people the chance to reuse unwanted items instead of sending them to landfill sites.

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3. Join freecycle.org, and you can get/give all kinds of items for free. You post what you have or what you are looking for, and someone in your area responds. It’s that simple. Join the Evanston group here.

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2. Out with the old

Clearing out old furniture and appliances can cost an arm and a leg if you have to pay someone to take them away.

Before you do, contact the Furniture Re-use Network (FRN). This body assists charitable re-use organisations across the UK, and they’ll collect unwanted furniture and white goods - without charge - to give to families in need.

You could also offer it up on Freecycle, a free mailing list where you can list things you want to get rid of and anyone who wants it will come and collect it.

Alternatively, give your local council a ring. They tend to have a bad reputation in this respect, but many councils will actually collect several items for free.

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Don’t trash those unwanted things sitting around the house. Instead, put them out on the “cyber-curb” for someone to pick up. In addition to listing in the free section on craigslist.org, here are three Web sites that encourage recycling.

Freecycle.org. The Web-based forum has area-specific groups in which users can offer or take free items that are listed, “in an effort to keep unnecessary waste out of landfills,” its site says.

Membership: Free, but registration is required. Select the group you want to join and sign up.

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