My boyfriend laughs at my green guilt. I save ribbons from birthday and holiday gifts, but I have no use for them myself, but I keep thinking they’ll be good for something other than breeding in drawers. Damaged-but-repairable items – such as a leaky garden hose or a floor lamp with a broken base – collect dust. No one on Freecycle or Craigslist wants this stuff, and Goodwill would just throw it out. Trying to be a good steward lands me in nearly constant conflict and has me living in clutter.

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If you can’t sell the computer or give it away through a site like Freecycle (http://freecycle.org), donate it to a charity. You have a wide variety of choices, from local computer groups such as the Capital PC User Group (http://reboot.cpcug.org) and Washington Apple Pi (http://wap.org/about/donations) to larger nonprofit organizations such as the National Cristina Foundation (http://cristina.org).

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3) Freecycle

According to the website, the Freecycle network is made up of 4,658 groups with 6,270,000 members across the globe. Their main goal is to keep stuff from hitting the landfills. The best part, IT’S FREE! Everything posted here must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. (freecycle.org)

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Dondero said he heard learned of one person in need through his ham radio, while he heard about a Gonic family through the Freecycle Network, an online group focusing on giving away unneeded items instead of throwing them away.

A man and woman from Gonic put in a listing on freecycle.org saying they had “been shoveling and shoveling and couldn’t shovel anymore,” according to Dondero’s girlfriend of over five years, Sharon Porter.

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• Freecycle.org. As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another’s treasure, and at this Web site, you can advertise your junk to folks who might find value in it. They’ll often even take it off your hands for free. You have to join as a member to participate. Freecycle.org has Southern Nevada networks in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Mesquite.

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Get cycling

Dig out your old bike, buy one on eBay or hunt one down on Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) and get moving. It’s eco-friendly, it’s cheap and, depending on how far and how fast you go, it’s great exercise. It’s even cool; top model Agyness Deyn has been photographed cycling and Vogue has given a thumbs up to the kit on www.cyclechic.co.uk For a bit of encouragement, try the book Cycle for Life by Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke (£14.99, Kyle Cathie). It explains everything from what to wear to how to train, and it’s for everyone from beginners to competitive cyclists.

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Make your “trash'’ someone else’s treasure and reduce the waste in the landfill. Freecycle.org is an online network, like eBay, but everything is free. You can post almost anything, including the kitchen sink. Sign up to a local chapter, so a “taker'’ can pick up the item.

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www.Freecycle.org, an e-mail group based on matching up people’s goods with wants, has an active community in the Wilmington area, and most things that are posted usually get picked up.

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Be sure to remove any baubles or tinsel before putting it outside. If your council can’t collect, you can also take it to your local recycling centre and put it in the green waste section.

If your Christmas tree was of the artificial variety, it can be donated to charity or listed on sites like Gumtree (www. gumtree.com] or Freecycle (www.freecycle.org], where it can find a new home.

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Alternatively, you could post them on Freecycle which is a fantastic online recycling network. Freecycle communities can be found all over the UK and across the globe. They encourage the re-use of goods by giving them away for free rather than throwing them out. And it’s free to join up!

So there’s absolutely no excuse to let your unwanted gifts gather dust this year. With just a small amount of effort you can make yourself some extra cash, swap your presents for something you actually want, or make a generous donation to charity! Merry Christmas!

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