Imagine going to a rummage sale where everything is free.

Imagine folks coming to your home at your invitation to haul away all the stuff you don’t want any more.

This is the concept behind FreeCycle.org, an Internet site that has been used by over 1,000 people in Searcy and White County to exchange free merchandise that can still be used.

Freecycle, which has over 4,000 groups and over five million members, is a grassroots nonprofit movement composed of people who are giving and getting free items. Membership is free and everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. No trading, bartering or selling is allowed.

Click here to read in full

8. Giving it away now:

At the end of a sale, if you still have items you don’t want but also don’t want to haul off, post a notice on Columbia Yahoo Group of The Freecycle Network, a not-for-profit organization that aims to keep good stuff out of landfills.

Krehbiel said she puts the leftover items from a garage sale on the curb on Saturday, puts up a sign that says “Free,” posts an ad to Freecycle and by her trash day — Wednesday — everything is usually taken or goes with the trash.

Click here to read in full

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated about 250 million tons of garbage in 2006. While more than 30 percent of trash is recycled, most of it still ends up in landfills. But reusing items can be as simple as joining an e-mail list.

The Colorado Springs Freecycle Group is one of more than 4,300 around the world. It’s a way for people to get things they need, or give away what they no longer want, and give a little back in return.

Click here to read in full

One man’s trash is another’s treasure. Over 1,000 people in the Grand Junction area are trying to keep items out of landfills.

They started a website called “Grand Junction FreeCycle.” It’s a site that allows users to post items they no longer need but don’t want to throw away. When members like what they see, they can request the item and get it for free.

Click here to read in full

Another website called Freecycle.org lets you trade things for free. It’s an online message board that shows you what others in your community have, want and need. You set up a free account and let the trading begin!

So for Carrico, he says this is just the beginning of hunting down trash to turn into treasure.

Click here to read more

Another way to “go green” in Sangamon County is by joining the Springfield Freecycle Network, the largest reuse community in central Illinois.

It’s not a charity or a business. It’s an idea that perfectly good used stuff deserves a home other than the landfill. Instead of throwing out things like furniture, dishes, bikes and electronics, people give these items away for free to other people in their community who can use them.

Anyone with access to a computer can log on to www.freecycle.org and find a link to their local community Freecycle site. There are more than 4,300 Freecycle sites and nearly 5 million members worldwide. Illinois has 186 Freecycle sites, with many in central Illinois.

Click here to read the article in full

Freecycle is an online group whose members offer free items they no longer want and can ask for anything they may be in need of.

Melanie Clevenger, a Freecycle moderator, said the group is a great resource for students.

According to the national Freecycle network Web site, www.freecycle.org, the group is “globally local,” and each city has volunteer moderators and a unique e-mail group. Anyone living in that city is then welcome to post items to be given away or to seek items which they might be able to use.

Click here to read the article in full

And so, in the spirit of EcoGeekiness, I hereby pledge to actually do something about it. This stuff has to go! It’s pretty easy to get rid of stuff nowadays…with EBay and Craigslist and Freecycle. But some of it might not be so easy to part with. So I am hereby beginning a series in which I will be replacing hardware either with multiple-use items (trading scissors for knives) or with software. And, hoorah! I will free myself of these earthly ties….and increase that beautiful spiritual connection I have with this machine before me.

Click here to read the article in full

“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.”

Click here to read the article in full

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.

Click here to read the article in full