Going Green with FreeCycle: The New Way to Recycle

What is it?

The non-profit FreeCycle organization, originated by Deron Beal in Tuscon, Arizona, took the idea of neighbors freely sharing what they had with others in their community and decided to run it out of Yahoo groups. The idea took off. Now there are groups all over the world in many countries and almost every area of every state in the United States.

The basic premise: you might have something you no longer want or need and your neighbor may have something they no longer need. With the FreeCycle local Yahoo group, you both post what you have for your neighbors to your local FreeCycle website and those who have need can then email you to make arrangements to pick up the item.

The benefits of using the FreeCycle network is pretty obvious. It is a neighborhood effort. This not only instills a giving community spirit, but insures that items stay out of the landfills and go to people in your own community who can really use them.

All of this is reflected in the FreeCycle mission statement found in their Member FAQ:

"Our mission is 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."

How does it work?

First you find and join the local Yahoo group for your area. You must be a member of your local Yahoo group in order to participate. There are also rules for participating. There can be no spamming, the items you offer must be free and legal, and a new member needs to make an offer before asking to take something offered by another.

It is all handled via group posts which can either be read on the web site or received via emails. You then reply directly to the poster stating you would like the item. If the item hasn't been taken, the original poster lets you know how and when you can pick it up. As soon as an item is taken, the original poster notes this so they don't get more calls on the item. The same goes if you post a request. Once you receive it, you note this in the list or delete your original request.

What kinds of things are offered?

You'd be amazed. In my inbox today there were offers for a chipper/shredder, a bag of girls size 6 clothes, fly fishing lures, garden decorations, a microwave, moving boxes, books, magazines and so much more. A friend of mine gave away her wedding dress on her local FreeCycle group. Imagine the lucky bride who was freely given a wedding dress by someone in her own community. Some items are taken very quickly and others need a second or third post after a while.

Just think about this little scenario: Your family is moving. You're a member of FreeCycle in your area and offer several things you don't wish to take with you. In addition, you need packing boxes. Using your FreeCycle network, you find a neighbor who has the packing boxes for you and you pick them up. You move to your new area and after unpacking, you now have a ton of packing boxes you need to get rid of. So you join your new local FreeCycle group and make an offer of free packing boxes. In addition, on the new group, you see a few things you need in your new home. The cycle continues...free and neighborly, need to need.

How do I join?

For more information on the FreeCycle Organization or to join a local group yourself, simply go to FreeCycle.org and in the text area under "Find a group near you", put in your city and state. If you don't find a local group in your area, you can also browse the various groups by clicking on "Browse Groups", then clicking on your state or "Other Countries" Have fun giving!