CHICO — A forward-thinking Web site has championed the idea of community giving.

Freecycle.org is a collection of 4,767 groups across the globe whose 6,883,000 members engage in selfless giving.

The concept is simple: List items you no longer want, give them to someone who needs them and keep excess trash out of the landfill.

“I don’t mind sharing,” said Nadine Cox, co-owner of the Chico Freecycle group. “I prefer to give stuff away because it’s more fun.”

With more than 3,000 members in the Chico group and 15-20 new ones joining daily, there’s never a lack of messages being posted on the group’s Yahoo site, said Cox, who spends five or six hours a day approving members and moderating messages.

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Join www.freecycle.org. This site was set up solely for the reuse cause. You can offer your item to someone and in turn, if you need something request it and see if someone has that item they might consider getting rid of. It worked for me. I have offered a high chair, water skis, even tiki torches and all have been taken. I in turn needed a DVD player and received it from someone. Each county has its own group, but you are free to join any group. Many members of the Lake County freecycle group are also members of Mendocino Couny’s freecycle group.

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6.
Fix things. Mend clothing, repair the vacuum, fix the car—instead of replacing them. Or give them away on Freecycle.org.

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Freecycle sets the standard for quality, free goods. Think of it as a Craigslist free section, but with a slightly higher bar of entry. I had to join a Yahoo Groups mailing list first, but I soon had access to local giveaways. You might find old computer hardware, but your best small business bets are to keep an eye out for office furniture, microwaves, and other items that seem to normally cost more than they’re worth. Then, when you’re finished with some of your hardware, post it back on the list to complete the cycle.

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“I like this place because it’s so historic,” says Resha, who also participates in freecycle.org, a Yahoo group that emphasizes giving away your stuff. “I find it really joyful — giving somebody something they really want.”

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FreeCycle.org: This nonprofit organization, with a mission to help the environment by not cluttering landfills, matches people who want to give away items with people in the same city who want them.

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FREECYCLE

If you haven’t discovered Freecycle, you’ve been paying too much for stuff. Freecycle is an Internet-based movement that encourages people to give away used items in good condition to someone in their area - rather than throwing them away.

n Here’s how it works: Log on to www.freecycle.org. Click on “Browse groups.” Then choose the group nearest you. Click on the Yahoo group’s link to join. You’ll have to create a short profile and include an e-mail address.

n Each day, you’ll get e-mails about free items or requests for free items. A subject line might say, “OFFER: Girls clothing sizes 6-8″ or “WANTED: blue plaid couch.” If someone on the listserv wants the clothes or has the couch, they’ll send a reply e-mail, and the two parties will agree to meet and swap. The person who agrees to take the items bears the responsibility for picking them up in a timely manner. Money does not change hands.

- Freecycle creator Deron Beal says the site keeps more than 400 tons of a waste out of the world’s landfills daily.

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Buy used or Freecycle. Thrift stores, libraries, used book stores are all good ways not to waste and to support local businesses. And if there’s a Freecycle group in your zipcode, that’s another good way to avoid waste.

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With Americans discarding 245 million tons of trash annually, there’s plenty of free and cheap stuff to be claimed. Whether you find it at a thrift store, a yard sale or an online exchange such as freecycle.org, rescuing discards is easy on the Earth and the wallet.

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- Take advantage of freebies. In this day and age, it’s easy to forget that some things are actually free. Instead of purchasing the new bestseller or latest DVD, borrow it from your local library. There are also great ways to find items you need, secondhand. Since now’s the time for spring cleaning, check out FreeCycle.org or your local swap shop for slightly used items. Someone else’s throwaway could be your treasured find.

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