Monday, April 15: Consumption, trash and recycling
– No Impact Freecycle Extravaganza, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the atrium of the Havener Center. The freecycle is a no-money “yardsale.” The public is welcome to donate any household items they no longer use and take home any donated items they find interesting. No cash changes hands and leftover items will be donated to a local resale shop.
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Vince Cable, The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, visited Wedmore at the weekend with Burnham-On-Sea’s MP Tessa Munt.
Mr Cable picked up a few freebies at a Freecycle event in Wedmore alongside his parliamentary private secretary.
At the Freecycle event, organised by the village green group, he took away a set of bathroom scales for his London home.
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But there are many others, millions in fact, who have turned to sites like FreeSharing.org and Freecycle.org to get rid of their stuff, sites that use the theory that one person’s trash is another person’s new couch, TV or baby stroller.
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Websites like Swap.com, BarterQuest or The Freecycle Network each have millions of members listing everything, from old video games to Christian Louboutin pumps to electronic drum sets.
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Swap Anything, From Bicycles to Bread Machines
With websites like neighborgoods.net and freecycle.org there is plenty of opportunity to trade valuable resources. You don’t have to buy new things, and your own stuff doesn’t go unused. Explore the many options for swapping everything from bicycles to lawnmowers to bread machines. The environment and your pocketbook will both thank you for your efforts.
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Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org: These are the coolest online ways to find exactly what you need. Craigslist is like a giant virtual garage sale where you can find just about anything you need, right near where you live. Some things are free but most are for sale at good prices. Freecycle, on the other hand, is all free. It’s all based on the idea of keeping things out of the landfill. You post online to give things away and look there for what you need that others are giving away. I have friends who have equipped their entire garden via Freecycle, from hoses and soil to bricks, seeds and plants.
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Recently I had a massive clear out of things in my house to make room for some needed renovations. I unloaded books, old televisions, furniture, you name it. In early early stages of shifting I became very disappointed with many of the charities I tried to donate things to. I found their attitude absolutely appalling and some of their comments insulting. I was about to give up entirely and just leave everything I didn’t want in my front garden to let the neighborhood have a free for all. Then I stumbled upon a beautiful website called Freecycle.org.
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Johnny Johnson, who runs Freecycle, which collects electronics for recycling in Allentown, said he expects the industry to grow with the new regulation.
He noted that Pennsylvania is the 25th state to add such a ban and several more states are close to enacting similar laws.
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Martini glasses. Magazines. A futon. Styrofoam packing blocks. These are just a few of the items I’ve Freecycled over the years. And boy was I relieved to discover that Freecycle was already established in Des Moines, since I had been a long-time Freecycler in the SF Bay Area. What is Freecycle? Well, I’ve had a few people ask me that. Especially when they see me leaving items in bags on my doorstep.
557306_10151082410412993_391868685_nFreecycle was started ten years ago by Deron Beal in Arizona. You can read the whole story here, but in summary, it’s a network group of folks who sign up to post items that they would either like to give away or they’re in search of. I’ve been on various Freecycle networks for years. It’s yet another way to keep stuff out of landfill, share with and help others in your local community, and meet some interesting people to boot.
Back in San Francisco, I had a number of friends who were also in the same Freecycle network. We play the game of “okay, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen on Freeycle” because as you can imagine, there are some rather interesting posts. For me, I think the all-time weirdest item I saw “offered” (posts start as either “offered” or “wanted”) was empty dog food containers. And no doubt, someone took them. And I’ve seen some interesting “wants” too, like when I was a member of the Oakland, CA Freeycle group, and someone wanted a diamond ring. Well, why not.
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