We have 3 kids; a 5 year old son and 8 month old twins. We use freecycle.org to help us pass on items we don't need anymore to prevent them from going into landfills and we use this group to obtain items such as clothing, furniture, toys, household items, etc. We save money and we are also helping the earth.
Freecycle.org is a group which uses yahoo groups to post. There are times where you don't get the item you need, but you can also post a want post on the group page. Make sure you read the rules and etiquette on your freecyle group to avoid any problems such as posts not getting posted.
By Crystal from New Jersey
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Good for you using freecycle. I am a moderator for our local freecycle and I tell everyone to join. I cant name all the stuff I have received and given away on freecycle.
The trick with FreeCycle is clarity. Learn your local moderator's preferred format and follow it. I don't have much I can give, but still monitor my FreeCycle daily digest emails. If someone posts a "wanted" for something I can give, I'm happy to do so. The thing I was happiest to give was the talking watch whose audio servo had failed. The watch still worked, only needed a $5 battery. The recipient seemed so grateful - and one more item was saved from the landfill. Even small items matter.
The down side is some folks act like they really need stuff, then don't bother responding to an offer. Or, they arrange for a pickup and don't show. And maybe I'm too picky, but if you can't express yourself politely and with some semblance of clarity, I'm less likely to consider your request.
One thing to remember when you are participating in giving away things through Freecycle.org or ReUseIt or craigslist.org or any of those types of organizations. You do not have to give your item to the very first person that responds to your post. It is much more fair to wait at least 24 hours before you choose who to give your item to. Not everyone can sit at the computer all day long waiting for things to be posted.
As someone else has already said, but can't be said enough, remember your manners. If someone is kind enough to give you something, say thank you!
One of my pet peeves when I have posted something to give away. When people respond with "I'll take it off your hands". To me it sounds really greedy, and I be probably ignore your response.
Freecycle is a great resource but sometimes it can be hard for new Freecycle members to adjust to all the Freecycle rules and the flood of email from the mailings lists. I've built a new free site that makes it quicker and easier for people to use their existing Freecycle groups at http://trashnothing.com
I've also created a map-based directory of all the freecycling groups in the world at http://finder.trashnothing.com It makes it really easy for people to find their local groups.
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I'm looking for freecycle in Lorain Co. Ohio.
By Ruby from Lorain, OH
Here is the Lorain County Freecycle group. You have to join the Yahoo Group to read/respond to the posts.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LCFreecycle/
You can also search for other nearby Freecycle groups in OHIO by doing a search here:
http://www.freecycle.org (10/30/2009)
By KL
http://www.freecycle.org. Type in this web address and then search for your county. There may not be one in your county so you might need to look for one close to you. (10/30/2009)
By Rose Smith
If you have unused items in your home (and who doesn't?), a wonderful way to get rid of them is to use Freecycle. Freecycle is a form of recycling, using the Internet. Freecycle groups are formed by geographical location, and there are more every day, so chances are good that there is one near you.
To find a Freecycle group near you, go to http://groups.yahoo.comThere, in the middle of the page, under "Join A Group", is a Search box. In that box, type Freecycle and the name of your state (for example, Freecycle Michigan).
You will then get a list of all the Freecycle groups in your state. If you live in or near a reasonably large town (20,000 and up), enter BOTH the name of your state and the name of your town, and you will be able to restrict your search results to your local area and cut down on the number of results.
The list of Freecycle groups in your state will tell you the total number of groups (at the top and bottom), and will have a clickable link to each group. Select a group to see exactly what geographic area it covers.
Once you have determined the appropriate group, all you need to do is to click on that group's link and join the group, using the big button named, surprisingly enough, "Join This Group!" Click on that button, and you will be given instructions for joining. You can opt to have the group's emails sent to your email account, or you can read the email on the web site.
This is a terrific way to have people come to your house and take away your unwanted items. No hassle with a garage sale or hauling the items to the dump.
By Darren M.
I gave up on it. In this area at least more people were begging for stuff or selling stuff rather than giving stuff away. (11/27/2004)
By Anna
There is actually a group called Freecycle and they have a web site. I think the Yahoo groups stem off this organization and I'm not sure if everywhere worldwide. Freecycle Network group has a Yahoo group. It is now in 1,841 cities with 673,506 members. If you go to their site and click on the "Start a Group" button, you will be able to search for existing groups and can see if there is one in your area.
Happy freecycling.
Kathy
(11/27/2004)
It's great. It has really helped us. We started one out here in our small town, too. I also see a post before mine where someone was "selling" and "buying"? They should be banned. Read the rules. Everything is "free". Have a fun and cheap day.
~OOO~ (11/27/2004)
By Bill
I want to give some wood away--How do I do that?
Editor's Note: Go to freecycle.org and look for a group in your area. I think you can search by zip code. Sign up for a Freecycle account in your area. Offer it as a free wood and give a description. Wait for emails to come in, usually they do fairly quickly. You can pick and choose from those emails who you would like to receive it. Sometimes charitable organizations will contact you or someone who really needs wood. Another thing you can do is look for someone who is needing wood and respond to them. (07/21/2007)
By Beve
If you like the idea of Freecycle, but don't want to join a group and have to monitor emails to see what's available, check out this site:hammydown.org
It's Freecycle, with search and geographic info. It's brand new, so please check it out, add some items, and leave some feedback. Thanks. (01/07/2009)
By Mike V
