Freecycling
by Ronnee Ruselle
Today's society is known as a 'throw-away' society. Much of what used to be repairable is now replaceable, requiring only that we get rid of it and replace it with a new one. Indeed, it's cheaper to do that than to repair most things.
So the question has to be asked "What happens to all of the things we throw away?" Well, most of it goes to landfill or is hopefully recycled in some way. Most locations will have a recycling program set up where residents will sort out their weekly rubbish and it gets recycled at plants and re-used in some way. It has had a huge effect on the planet as we just cannot continue to bury everything we make and expect the planet to swallow it up.
What can we do about it?
I recently discovered a wonderful scheme called Freecycle where you can give the items you're no longer using to somebody else preventing it from being added to landfill, helping others and saving people money.
This wonderful idea originated 2003 in Tucson, US in an effort to prevent the desert landscape from being taken over by landfills and it's been highly successful. It's theme of gift-giving in order to promote waste reduction strikes a chord in many people. Who wouldn't love the idea of giving your no longer needed items to someone who needs them. Today, Freecycle has over 3 million members worldwide.
How does it work?
It's an internet based organisation where individuals and charity groups can join free of charge. When you have an item that you no longer require, you can email your offer to the Freecycle group or opt to receive offers from others. The gift giver decides who the recipient will be, politely lets the group know that the item is taken and voila! Another transaction successfully saves the planet.
We speak to a "Freecycler?
Being a worldwide organization, you'll no doubt find a Freecycle near your home or perhaps you'd like to start one like Tracey who runs the Lilydale Freecycle in Victoria, Australia. Tracey discovered Freecycle when she wanted to offload some items from her home and garage nearly 4 years ago.
Tracey began the Lilydale branch about 14 months ago and in that time it has grown to over 800 members. When asked what her favourite thing about Freecycle is, Tracey answered: "The duality of Freecycle continually keeps me excited. Through this venue, the act of gift giving allows the Freecycle community as a whole, to participate in keeping our land clean."
People are able to give large or small gifts to others. Anything from a piano to clothing can find a home through Freecycle and people are even finding good homes for their beloved pets that need to be re-housed.
So if you're a person who loves to give or needs to remove items from your home, why not avoid putting those items in landfill and get the bonus of feeling good about giving a gift to someone in need. Just make sure that you let people know the working condition of it so that they can decide whether it's something that they can fix etc. You can locate your local Freecycle group by visiting: http://www.freecycle.org/.