For about 7 years now, I’ve been a Volunteer Moderator for a worldwide organization, Freecycle.org. Beginning in England, there are Freecycle.org branches in many areas and if not, it’s easy to start one.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/16/2297247/-How-To-Help-Each-Other
Books free of mold, mildew or water stains may be donated to thrift stores; sold on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or OfferUp; given away to a Friends of the Library organization or through sites such as Freecycle or bookmooch.com; or brought to a bookstore, such as Abednego Books, in Ventura, which accepts used books and, in exchange, offers partial store credit toward book purchases. Through the Little Free Libraries nonprofit organization, some people set up book-swap enclosures in front of their homes.
Roughly 250 million people were still visiting Craigslist worldwide each month in 2022, 27 years after the site was launched in 1995—and many of those Craigslist users are posting and sharing goods under the site’s popular “free stuff” section. About eight years after Craigslist was launched, Freecycle Network came online in 2003. More than 9 million Americans were still using Freecycle as of 2020, which I detailed in an article that year. And then there’s the relatively young Buy Nothing Project, which turned 10 years old in July of 2023. In addition to providing a digital space where people can request things they need, post things they’re giving away, and share gratitude, one of the B corp’s social benefit model goals is to encourage people to organize community and local events around buying nothing.
https://www.laprogressive.com/economic-equality/moneyless-economy
You can also share your stuff with people in your local community – use the Freecycle Network or BuyNothing Facebook groups where members give and get free items.
https://komonews.com/news/consumer/repurposing-old-clothes-whats-best-toss-donate-or-recycle
Cardboard boxes: If using sites like Craigslist, Freecycle or Nextdoor for reusable items, take precautions when arranging pickups or drop offs – all parties should wear face coverings, keep six feet apart, avoid physical contact, and wash their hands before and after the exchange.
https://patch.com/california/berkeley/city-berkeley-keep-berkeley-clean-cal-students-move
To catch people unlawfully dumping garbage along roadways during the past year, the Ventura County Public Works Agency installed motion-activated, hidden cameras in strategic locations along rural roads. The cameras upload images to the Internet and send incriminating evidence of people dumping, showing their vehicle and license plates to county staff. In response, the Public Works Agency files a police report which is then investigated by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. In most cases a citation is issued, and the responsible party is required to appear in court
Books free of mold, mildew or water stains may also be donated to thrift stores; sold on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or OfferUp; or given away through sites such as Freecycle or bookmooch.com.
Freecycle is an online recycling and reuse network that focuses on keeping useable home items out of landfills. By joining a local chapter in your area, you can list your stuff online for others in your community to take. All items listed on Freecycle are free with no strings attached. The network strives to reducewaste and saves precious resources.
https://www.housebeautiful.com/home-remodeling/a35227247/donate-furniture-household-items/
Of course, Ventura County’s productive soil and sunny climate sometimes result in an excess of food produced by diligent gardeners. Avoid food waste of this type by giving excess to neighbors and friends. To give away food while social distancing, put a box of your excess produce on your curbside with a sign saying “Free,” or list it for free curbside pickup on Freecycle.com, the Ventura County Free Barter and Trade Facebook group, or the free section of Craigslist. For especially large harvests, contact Food Forward or FOOD Share, which glean for the hungry.
And I have used Freecycle in the past to pass perfectly good items forward.
