Freecycle & Craigslist:

These two have been around for decades, and both have a feast-or-famine reputation: You’re either lucky enough to live where there’s a great group offering great things, or you live in a place where people try to unload some pretty awful stuff. (Fun fact: A guy in Fairbanks, Alaska, advertised free dog poop — “You shovel, you haul.”)

Back in my starving-midlife-student years, I scored some free grub from Freecycle and Craigslist. You might luck out, too.

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/5-ways-to-fill-your-pantry-with-free-food/

Freecycle: When stuff doesn’t sell or isn’t handy to donate, Freecycle is your friend. Post your item on the site — I always add the disclaimer that I won’t deliver it — and you’ll often find someone will gratefully adopt your item.

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/dozen-great-ways-get-rid-hard-get-rid-stuff/

4. Freecycle it

That bike you no longer ride or trunk full of baby clothes would be welcomed by folks who can’t afford such things. See if there’s a local chapter of The Freecycle Network, or put unwanted items up for grabs on the “free” section of Craigslist.

For safety’s sake, leave the stuff on the porch or in your driveway for someone to pick up. Or, offer to meet the new owners in a public place for a drop-off.

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/you-dont-need-rich-lend-helping-hand-42-free-cheap-ways-give/

About Freecycle for Recycling Old Clothes

Next time you search for “recycled old clothes near me,” check out Freecycle instead.

With grassroots groups scattered all around the world, Freecycle makes it easy to turn trash into treasure—either for straight reuse or to be upcycled into something totally new and unique. 

It’s free to post anything and local members will get notified of your listing. Sharing a picture helps, too. 

https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-fashion/recycle-old-clothes/

Meet, swap

In its basic form, the sharing economy is focused on local swap, rental and gifting of assets such as space, tools, and other goods. Citizens advertise their need for an item or the items they have to spare, and rather than buying new which would create more waste, they share the items for some specified period of time. Such activities have been leveraging the internet since it was established, and today specialized platforms like Freecycle or Facebook Neighborhoods make it easier than ever. And governments stand poised to supercharge this process through facilitation and incentivization programs that make it easier and more advantageous to share.