Like the Buy Nothing and free pages on Facebook, Freecycle organizes you by location and connects community members to one another for free.
Like the Buy Nothing and free pages on Facebook, Freecycle organizes you by location and connects community members to one another for free.
Another online reuse matching community, Freecycle.org, has as its slogan “Changing the world, one gift at a time.”
Among the items on the Freecycle page for the Ventura area are “hundreds of recorded cassettes” offered in Oak View and a set of dishes offered in Camarillo.
Listings are fresh, with nothing older than two weeks.
Listings in Freecycle are different from those one might see on a website like Craigslist or eBay, where people list in order to sell.
Look out for non-profit or local neighbourhood groups online such as Freecycle – these are good places to sell, swap or give your pre-loved items. Other organisations, such as Furniture Donation Network, will directly give your items to someone in need.
Back in 2007 I recommended an organization called Freecycle for divesting yourself of not just computers, but all sorts of stuff you want to get rid of. Freecycle is still around, and I dare say is even bigger now than back then. I did a quick Google search on “how to dispose of old computers” and found some additional places worth a look-see. Companies like PC Liquidations and eRecure are certified disposal specialists, and have collection points nationwide. Big box retailer Best Buy also has a free in-store recycling program for everything from cell phones to computers to appliances. If you have a Best Buy near you (and I happen to know that you do, Beverly!) check them out.
If you’re comfortable with people coming to your home or garage, you can list items for sale on Craigslist or neighborhood apps such as Nextdoor. Those are good sites to list items you want to give away, too, and many communities have Freecycle groups to help you find homes for unwanted items.
Sell or donate – We often have lots of perfectly good items in our homes that we no longer need or want. Whether its’ clothing that we have outgrown, or furniture that doesn’t match the new colour scheme, these items have lots of good shelf life left in them and will be appreciated by a new owner. If you don’t want to sell the items, charity shops and organisations are always grateful for donations, other options include the local freecycle or swap shop pages on social media
Is there a younger sibling, cousin, or neighbor who could use it? If not, a local homeless shelter or other local charity might accept gently used school supplies. You can also offer it for free via Freecycle or your local Craigslist. I think that a little investigation will offer many options for donating school bags in your area.
But what if the bag is not in great shape? Even it’s had a lot of wear or the straps are broken, there are still options for reusing an old school bag.
The keen environmentalist is the founder of Fermanagh Freecycle and her hens have taken over her life as they roam freely around her home.
She was recently involved in another rescue mission around Lisbellaw after one of her hens went missing for 10 hours, although it later turned up unscathed.
We’re also hosting a representative from the Freecycle Network, a grassroots online non-profit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Freecycle participants believe in donating and reusing items. So, rather than throwing away older and/or unused items like furniture, electronics, keepsakes, kitchen and household goods and other stuff, Freecycle online groups post items for free while individuals also post items they are looking for online. It’s a win-win for everybody!