Don't REcycle... FREEcycle

Though landfills are eye-sores and stink, some people are still sending perfectly good things to their final resting place prematurely. The town in which I grew up has a "free barn" at the dump. It's a place to leave items you no longer want that are still in working order. You are also welcome to take something if you like. Landfills are spared, and people often find things that they would not otherwise pay money for. This is a great idea, but it is probably unlikely that you could find a swap program like this near you... until now. FreeCycle combines this same idea with the power of the internet. By signing up for an email list in your area, you can connect with hundreds or thousands of other people willing to give and interested in receiving. Here's a little more about the program:

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,205 groups with 4,211,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Membership is free.

So far, I have given a few things. One person flaked out on me and never showed up, but everyone else was quite reliable. I asked for a microwave, and almost immediately, a guy offered one that was nearly new, for free! I urge you to take the standard precautions before going to someone's house to get something (e.g. take a friend with you, meet in a public space). Otherwise, check it out and have fun!

Image: http://www.freecycle.org/