Don't just recycle, Freecycle
Ever feel like you have too much stuff ? Sometimes think that you’d just like it to go to someone who needs it – rather than someone who will pay the most for it ? If you are an Ebay fan or a recycling nut then freecycle.org is for you.
Freecycle is Ebay’s philanthropic cousin – do the Generous thing and start freecycling today!
Freecycle resembles a cross between an internet auction house and a global chain of charity shops – like ebay. But unlike ebay, no money changes hands.
You see, as the name suggests, everything advertised on Freecycle must be free – whether it’s an old sofa, or even just a few unwanted CDs. Anyone interested simply replies by e-mail: deal done. Brilliant. It’s not the latest kit, but hey, it’s free, and it stops the need for going down to the dump, filling up landfills with stuff you no longer need!
The site is the creation of Deron Beal, an environmentalist from Arizona, in the US, who started it in mid-2003 as an automated e-mail list. The Freecycle network is run through Yahoo! Groups and has 1.2 million members in 2,700 clusters worldwide. These clusters are based on location – there are about 275 in the UK – which means goods can be picked up rather than posted, handy for bulky items and you get to meet like minded locals too.
Click on the link, find your local group and join up at http://freecycle.org/
Join the fray by signing in.
As a Generous member, you can leave comments or tips below each action. The difference between a comment and a tip is that a tip is really advice (or wisdom, as we like to call it). A comment is just an observation.
Join the fray by signing in.
Little Green Fee, GB , 22 May 2006
This is fantastic!!! I saw the freecycle link last week and went and joined. It is amazing what people are giving away. Within 2 days I’ve already given away 2 things I had no need for and collected 1. I intend to use this service forever more, it’s excellent. Thank you Living Generously for introducing me to this. I recommend that everyone tries it.
Maidenhead, GB , 23 May 2006
I’m a Freecycle moderator and it is amazing the things that I have seen change hands on the group that I run – everything from bubble wrap and craft materials to cars, computers and large items of furniture. If you find that there isn’t a group in your area then you can apply to start one yourself – the details are on the Freecycle site.
GB , 23 May 2006
I’ve been freecycling stuff bothways on the Aberdeen freecycle group! It’s fantastic and recommended to EVERYONE.
Gloucester, GB , 15 Jun 2006
freecycle’s great! what more can i say!
17 Jun 2006
I love freecycle, you get a real buzz when you give something away. But that’s not the only thing, the community are so helpful and friendly, when I have asked for things on Freecycle have had lots of suggestions and support. A super idea. I check every day to see if anyone wants something that i may have and no longer use, or if someone is advertising something i may need. What a super site, its great keeping things out of the landfil or rotting in our lofts and sheds and building a community too!
21 Jun 2006
How amazing is freecycle
I went to Nepal last year on a trek to raise money for a children’s hospice, and got all of my stuff from freecycle – everyone was amazing! My housemate and I are in the middle of clearing out the storerooms and giving loads of stuff away! Yippee!
GB , 10 Jul 2006
I’ve freecycled a load of stuff due to a house move after signing up to this action. Feels great to not be thowing all this stuff away.
11 Jul 2006
Whilst I haven’t actually used the service yet I am a fully signed up memeber to 3 circuits of FreeCycle now and am gradually getting ready to have a major spring/summer clean in the house so plenty will be going up!
It’s amazing how everything from used Christmas Cards to Cars get a new home on their!
29 Aug 2006
We use freecycle and also a local email list called Lancaster Swap Shop – especially if you have/want something that is a bit too expensive to give away, or to offer or ask for services. It’s great – we usually offer home baking or wine in exchange for things, and usually get wine or fruit and veg from people’s allotments!
South London, GB , 06 Sep 2006
Great for random bits for the allotment and kids stuff that is normally so expensive and generally made from plastic so feels good to be reusing rather than making new consumptions. It feels generous too – people sharing their stuff and not wasting or dumping it.
13 Sep 2006
Freecycle is fantastic. I have just passed on to barely used cot mattresses. Why all the press and information on SIDS I suggested them for sleep overs etc but found that there are lots of Mums out there desperate for mattresses and nursery goods. How much do we buy for our babies and how much do we pass on? NCT Nearly New Sales help the recycling process and give a bit back to the families to buy the next kit or clothes.
21 Sep 2006
I used to Freecycle but the sheer volume of emails meant I had to stop in order to keep my email account sane… Can anyone suggest a way of keeping on top of the constant stream of emails this generates?
Maidenhead, GB , 24 Sep 2006
Hi Herne
you can set up a filter in your email client to filter the Freecycle emails to a different mailbox.
Alternatively you can choose to receive the emails in digest form – you’ll then get one long email per day with all of the emails for that day in it. You choose this by logging into the group at Yahoo.
You can also choose to read the messages online, by setting your account to special notices only. Then you won’t get any email but will be able to post to the group, and can go to the group on Yahoo to read the posts. The special notices setting means you will get messages that the moderator sends out which might be important but should be only very occasional.
I hope this helps!
Rachel
02 Oct 2006
Thanks Rachel, my inbox is now a lot more manageable! :)
10 Oct 2006
Yo! We got rid of our child’s bike seats to someone looking for them! It’s amazing seeing what people want that we’ve actually got!!
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, GB , 14 Oct 2006
i just love this site. Our old broken stair gate is being used by someone to keep chickens out of her kitchen. How cool is that.
14 Oct 2006
Just joined my local FreeCycle group and it’s fascinating. Amazing range of stuff on offer, and it’s made me realise how things I might consider junk can actually be really useful to someone else. Would recommend this to anyone. Have rooted out some bits and bobs to offer. Just hope someone wants them…...
23 Oct 2006
Joined my local Freecycle group a month or so back and really interested to see how much can be passed on to others. I have never liked the idea of just throwing useable things away and as a result have a garage full of old, but working bits and pieces. Recently able to pass on an oil-filled radiator that had been sitting there for 3 years!
AF , 30 Oct 2006
Joined my local Freecycle after reading about it on this site. It’s great! Trying not to read the offered adverts as don’t want to end up with more clutter but it is fascinating to read what sort of things exchange hands through this! I’ve managed to give away a few things already including a random selection of four year old magazines! It makes you wonder what is the most obscure thing you can give away…
13 Feb 2007
totally addicted.
Aberystwyth, GB , 03 Mar 2007
Love it! Have saved a fortune in buying baby stuff, and actually done other people (and the environment) a favour in the process- AND i can look forward to passing it on again when my lil one grows out of it. Grrreat!
Amersham, GB , 14 Mar 2007
Freecycle is just so fab. We’ve re-homed all sorts of stuff: ancient computers, an old record cabinet (even though we advertised as having resident woodworm!), and numerous items of babycare paraphenalia. We’ve been Freecylcing for about a year now, but I still get a little thrill when someone comes to collect something and goes away happy, leaving us with a little more space in the house!
24 Mar 2007
just worked out how to join our local one, wish i had found it years ago
Taunton, GB , 29 Mar 2007
Thank you all. I found out about Freecycle through this site and signed up a couple of weeks ago. I’ve just made my first Freecyle giveaway and am feeling very generous. :-) I’m sure we have a lot more clutter we could get rid of – stuff which could easy go to a new home. Our challenge over the coming months will be to make sure that we complete a ‘clean out’.
Swindon, GB , 05 May 2007
just added an item, will let you know if I have any success with the site or not
Haverfordwest, GB , 25 Jun 2007
I too am a regular user of freecycle. I’ve disposed of two faded old sofas, leftover building materials, half-tins of paint, offcuts of kitchen worktop, soil and rubble – none of which were worth selling but all of which found eager takers. For those who find the usergroup email format irksome (which I know some do) there is a parallel service called dontdumpthat.com which operates via a web based forum instead. I use both.
Kingston upon Thames, GB , 01 Aug 2007
We’re doing this and loving it. So nice to get grateful emails from people who we’ve freecycled our stuff to. It really is fab and I highly recommend it. Decluttering your life doesn’t get any easier than freecycle ;)
stoke-on-trent, GB , 02 Aug 2007
Been doing this for about 6 months now and love it. I hate throwing things away so giving them to someone who needs it is a great way to stop me hoarding them! I use the ‘daily digest’ email to avoid swamping the inbox.
Port Hadlock, WA, US , 09 Mar 2008
Our local rural county has over 2000 members and counting on our Freecycle list. I use it regularly, usually to give, especially right now, as we’re taking the opportunity of just having moved into a new home to rid ourselves of a lot of clutter. Focus for our family right now is “Simplify!”
Edinburgh, GB , 04 May 2008
Freecycle’s great, I didn’t have to buy any of the furniture in my bedroom when I moved from a furnished flat into an unfurnished room.
18 Mar 2009
We have just done a building project and it’s shocking to realise how all the builders and traders on site have never heard of freecycle. They just assume everything old goes in the skip but we kept making sure that stuff was offered on freecycle first. It’s been brilliant. Roof tiles went to a charity model railway. Kitchen units went to someone giving their elderly mothers’ kitchen a make-over etc etc. I heartily recommend anyone who is doing work to think about posting as much as they can on freecycle so your own new project benefits others and doesn’t just fill landfill.
Maidenhead, GB , 12 Sep 2009
Many UK Freecycle groups now go under the name of “Freegle” – see http://freegle.org.uk/
09 Jun 2010
I love Freecycle! I live in an area covered by 4 different groups so it’s easy to give/take/share in the locality. There is also FREEGLE, another more recent incarnation of Freecycle which came about when some members didn’t want to be limited by the rules applicable to the original Freecycle groups. I’ve had 99% super-positive experiences, the other 1% I take as life lessons! It feels so great to exchange with others in a totally genuine, simple way: “I have this but don;t want it anymore & you need it so take it with my blessing!” :)
27 Jul 2010
If you haven’t heard yet, there is a wonderful organization called Free Give Group ( http://www.freegive.co.uk ). Free Give Group connects people who are giving and getting unwanted items for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills and, at the same time, helping someone in your community by gifting them the item you no longer need. Another benefit of using Freegive is that it encourages poeple to get rid of junk that we no longer need and promote community involvement in the process. By using Freegive, not only are you able to get rid of your item with the minimum of fuss; you will also be doing your part in stopping another reusable item ending up in a landfill. It’s completely free to join and everything posted must be free. Visit freegive website at http://www.freegive.co.uk