A decade ago, when you had something you didn't want, but which was still good, you'd put it out on the curb and hope that somebody would claim it before the garbage truck picked it up. Five years ago, you'd post it in a Usenet group, or put up flyers at a coffee shop. Now fast-forward to today, where a small community in Tucson AZ began a mission to "build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." Since 2003, over 3800 Freecycle(tm) groups have sprung up all over the globe, grassroots ad-hoc networks that practice local and regional peer-to-peer recycling. There's likely to be one right in your neighborhood-- and if not, it's easy to start one, just in time for the winter holidays' deluge of STUFF.
To quote the Freecycle Network's main page, freecycling is "a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free."
The rules are simple; items offered must be:
- Free: no barters, swaps, or strings attached.
- Legal: the obvious, but also by state or region; in some states, you cannot possess fireworks, for instance
- Appropriate for all ages: While not all items, such as power tools, are "appropriate" for all ages, this is a polite way of saying that you can't offer your collection of old adult magazines or videos, or similar material.
A person posting an item can specify first-come, first-served, or pick and choose among respondents. The latter is most common when the item is something particularly well-suited for an organization, such as someone giving away extra school supplies.
The success of a Freecycle group depends largely on the attitude and cooperation among the community. One controversial issue is that of Freecycle recipients who are acquiring items to resell at flea markets or on eBay. The Freecycle founding principles explicitly nix this idea: "[A Freecycle group] is not a place to just go get free stuff for nothing. It is a place to give or receive what you have and don't need or what you need and don't have -- a free cycle of giving which keeps stuff out of landfills. That perspective makes all the difference."
Some donors merely shrug and say that the true goal is getting rid of an item and making it available for re-use. Others react with various degrees of outrage. The most vehement protestors are probably thinking that they should get a cut of the profits. Some view freecycling as a needs-based program, and want that set of socket wrenches to go to a junior mechanic or a high-school shop program.
My own reaction was more along those lines, making me reluctant to participate. Then I reconsidered, and reframed my thoughts as enabling owner-run small businesses in the community. After all, there are now consignment houses that will sell your stuff on eBay for you, accept payments, and do all the shipping. All you have to do is cash the check they send to you, or accept a PayPal e-check. I still ask potential recipients if they will be using the item(s) directly, though, and show preference to people who seem to be honestly answering "yes".
You may think you have nothing to offer the Freecycle network, but you'd be surprised at what people want and will come and pick up from you. It's not so much about finding a new home for the couch (although that works well, too!) but keeping as much out of the landfill as possible. The local no-kill animal shelter may watch the list, looking for stainless steel food bowls or pet carriers. That broken office chair you have, with the cracked arm and the missing caster-- somebody out there may have the same chair, with a broken seat and a missing caster, and be willing to take yours to repair theirs. That big geranium or azalea that you hate, and plan to landscape over, is somebody's favorite plant, and they will come and dig it up for you and get it out of your sight. The Freecycle Newswire highlights press and success stories from groups worldwide.
Even items that are conventionally recyclable go quickly on the Freecycle groups. Shipping boxes and packing material are particularly popular at this time of year. While you could recycle that box from the online bookstore, or the bubble wrap that the department store used to protect your wineglasses, why not pass it on to someone who will use it to send a holiday present to their family? Teachers post notices looking for clean plastic yogurt cups for a class project. Gardeners want empty 2-liter soda bottles to make hotcap cloches for tender seedlings. A bride on a budget wants tulle scraps to make favors for her bridesmaids. The items sought and offered are as diverse as the community itself.
You can make a place for Freecycle group membership in your everyday life. Did you get a new set of dishes, and have an old set that you don't need? There's a family out there who probably has a worse set, and would be glad to trade up to your set. Maybe you just bought dishes for the first time, to set up a place with your new spouse. Somebody out there is moving house, and would love to have those empty boxes with the little dividers and foam inserts to protect their dishes. Did you receive the office gag gift? Don't worry, somebody out there really would get a kick out of that Albert Einstein chia head. You just got out of the hospital and have some live plants that people brought you as gifts, but you have an anti-green thumb? Somebody wants some landscaping plants, and will pick yours up gladly.
Okay, already-- you're convinced! Where do you sign up? Visit the Freecycle group finder to search for an group in your local area. You can even search for individual items across regional groups, and see samples of the kinds of listings that show up on groups. The finder also provides links to regional groups that have not made item listings available on the main site. It can be a good idea to use the finder website, though, as there is overlap between some groups and items in one might not be listed in another. For example, there is both an East SF Bay area and an Oakland-specific group.
Here, we've done a little homework for you:
Don't see your area? Visit the start your own Freecycle group page for information on how to create one. There's also a Freecycle Links & Resources page with links to website templates, hosting tips, the "Mod Squad" forum for Freecycle regional group moderators, even a volunteer graphics team which can help you create a nice logo for your group. There's a page of translated templates in a dozen languages. You're out of excuses, now go out there and Free Your Stuff!
