Mirror.co.uk: 50 ways to save money this Christmas
(8)Why buy when you can swap? On community websites such as www.freecycle.org people give away things they no longer need – from TVs to bicycles.
November 11, 2009
Visalia Times-Delta:Mother-daughter team helping Tulare County’s young moms
Berti trolls Freecycle.org, a site where people list items they want to give away.
She has also helped girls sign up for public assistance, arrange for prenatal care or deal with drug problems.
She and Gabby have helped about a dozen girls.
WLTX.com:’Freebies’–How to Furnish Your Home for Free
ad people tell me that with the granite countertops and solid maple cabinets that kitchen’s worth $20, 000,” said Melanie Carlone.
Carlone got it for free and found it on Freecycle.org.
“I paid for a Uhaul truck and a crew of three guys to go over and pull it out and come and put it in over here. it cost me about 200 bucks”
And deals like this are right at your fingertips. Check out Columbia Freecycle.org. Once you log on, you’ll need to join to get started, but the membership is free as well.
Daily Press: Forget the discount, get your holiday gifts for free
Consider a local trade
Yorktown resident Carol Masser suggests the Web site freecycle.org. After you join a local chapter, you can list the items that you’re willing to give away and look for items for yourself.
Different from a trading group, two people don’t have to agree on a swap for the transaction to happen. You simply need to offer some of your goods in order to choose from what others in the group have listed.
Locally, there are freecycle groups in Newport News and Williamsburg.
October 30, 2009
Peterborough Today: An incredible Peterborough couple transforming children lives
In this time, the couple received more donations including items from Freecycle in Peterborough, a non-profit making group trying to get good items reused rather than sent to landfill, after Berni posted an appeal for clothes, shoes and toys on their website
Independent: Core values: It’s time to go scrumping
A quick search on Freecycle revealed that there were numerous people more than happy to have spare apples taken off their hands: “Just so long as they were rewarded with the cider we made from them!” laughs Pete. But it soon became apparent that the trees on London’s highways and parks were also choc-full of delights just waiting to be turned into cider. “We all cycle and we kept seeing trees we thought would be good to raid. Once we’d seen one, we’d make a note and come back to it with all of our paraphernalia.”
October 21, 2009
Philadelphia Inquirer: Recycler’s guide to tough items
Because reuse is even better than recycling, consider posting your unwanted items on freecycle.org or the free section (under “for sale”) of craigslist.org. Check each site’s terms for allowable items.
Click here to read in full
St Albert Gazette: Relying on the kindness of recycling strangers
What do you do when times are tight but you still need to replace the wooden legs on your couch? How are you supposed to keep the glaring sunlight out of your eyes so that you can balance the chequebook at your desk? Where can you find bedsheets, cookie jars, and bicycles for free, all while feeling like you’re contributing to a worthy social cause?
There is a new trend in environmental activism that doesn’t cost a thing but helps keep otherwise useful household goods out of landfills. The first Freecycle group started in 2003 when Deron Beal sent an email to a few dozen friends, colleagues and local non-profit agencies near him in Tucson, Arizona. Beal worked for a group that provided recycling services and he noticed perfectly good stuff being thrown away, so he decided to do something about it.
October 7, 2009
Kiplinger.com: 10 Green Myths Debunked
Myth: “Biodegradable” products that return to their natural state save landfill space.
Reality: Modern landfills are designed to keep out sunlight, air and moisture to prevent air and water pollution, thus inhibiting degradation. The FTC’s definition of a biodegradable product is one that will completely decompose within a reasonably short period of time under customary methods of disposal. Because most landfilled garbage won’t pass that test, you’re better off reducing your contribution to solid waste (according to the EPA, the average American generates almostfive pounds of garbage a day). At the store, look for a claim of “post-consumer recycled” content, then recycle what you can. Also use sites such as Freecycle.org instead of hauling reusable stuff to the dump.