Freecycle your stuff
Since I’ll be moving house this summer, my parents have been dropping hints about their full attic – full of my old stuff, that is.
The thing is; I don’t really WANT that stuff. I haven’t looked at it in 5 years, and I wouldn’t miss it. But if I threw it away, it wouldn’t disappear. It would sit in some already over-flowing landfill, adding to the multitude of environmental problems that mess up our planet.
I’ve also been thinking recently that I need some stuff, biggish things that I can’t afford. I could do with a TV that works, a car, and probably a new double mattress. A bookcase or two wouldn’t go amiss either.
So I browse the internet and lo and behold, the solution is right before my eyes: Freecycle®.
What is it?
Freecycle is a nonprofit network devoted to finding new homes for just about anything people are getting rid of.
"Our mission is keeping things out of landfills," said Deron Beal, who started Freecycle in 2003 and is its lone staff member. "Junk only becomes junk after it no longer has any use. It is amazing what things people find uses for."
There are Freecycle groups in 85 countries, with more than 5 million global members managed by volunteers using their own computers. According to their website, they are "currently keeping over 300 tons a day out of landfills! This amounts to four times the height of
“By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit as they strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse. People from all walks of life have joined together to turn trash into treasure.”
How does it work?
People post or email about what they are seeking to get or give in their Freecycle groups (managed by Yahoo!), which are broken down by geography so members are basically communicating with neighbours. Members interested in offered items respond with messages telling why. Givers choose recipients, who pick things up in-person.
This all sounds good. ‘So how do I join?’ I hear you cry. It’s easy - go to www.freecycle.org and search for your local group.
Top tips
As a recent new member of the Cardiff Freecycle group, here’s a couple of tips:
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Set your preferences to ‘web only’, to avoid your inbox being flooded by 50 messages a day.
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Check your group regularly, and think of what you can give. Someone might have an urgent request for an item that’s gathering dust in your garage.
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If you want something that’s been offered, contact the giver straight away, as things tend to get snapped up in a day or two.
Freecycle does have a short list of things that can't be offered for reuse that includes "old boyfriends, old girlfriends, toilet paper and stapled staples."
So far I’m thinking ‘Offered: bag of bottle green girls school tights’ or ‘Purple Doc Martens, size 3’. Then perhaps I’ll post an ad – ‘Wanted: Colour TV that doesn’t turn itself off every 10 minutes.’
You never know.
Freecycle: www.freecycle.org
Yahoo! Green: http://green.yahoo.com/earth-day
Written by Becky Williams. Posted on 28th April.
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