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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A couple of years ago, I heard about Freecycle. I was intrigued. Freecycle is a not-for-profit community group online that focuses on keeping junk out of landfills. The basic idea is “I can’t use it. I want to find someone that can.” Like a lot of people, there have been many times I needed to get rid of something that was still very usable. Sometimes the thing I want to get rid of isn’t accepted by Goodwill or other charitable outlets. You don’t want to throw it away or haul it away-but you don’t know who might need it. Sometimes the trash seems like the only option. Enter Feecycle.

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It all started when Lara Holder needed a small piece of sheetrock to cover a hole in her bathroom after removing a medicine cabinet.

Instead of buying a full sheet - 32 square feet - she wondered if a neighbor might have a leftover piece that would work. So she logged onto the Freecycle Network.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

“I find it a really useful service,” said Holder, a member of the Freecycle Network, which means just what it says: free recycling of everything from pencils to refrigerators.

“It really is a good example of trash to treasures,” said Holder.

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After six months of cold weather and indoor hibernation, the weather is finally nice and warm again. Yes, spring is here.

Spring is a time for a new beginning and a fresh start, for renewal and growth. For a lot of people this means it’s time to do spring cleaning.

Depending on the individual, spring cleaning could mean deep-cleaning the house inside and out, cleaning and reorganizing closets, basement and garage, putting away winter clothes and bringing out summer clothes, purging clothes or getting rid of other stuff no longer useful and wanted.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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