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FREE + RECYCLE = FREECYCLE!
July 31, 2010, by The BrownsGotta move and unload a lot of furniture fast? Maybe you just don’t want to take that entertainment center? Need some bar stools to stage your home and don’t want to spend the cash?
Hundreds of people in and around southern New Hampshire have been tapping into the kindness of neighbors through a local website called FreecycleSalemNH. There are local groups in Lawrence, Derry, Methuen, Newburyport, Danvers, and North Andover, as well as in major cities around the country!
How does Freecycle work?
When you want to find a new home for something—whether it’s patio furniture, a pet stroller, a television, piano, or extra siding - you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of the local Freecycle group. Or, maybe you’re looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member’s offer, and you just might get it. It’s up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.
Our main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. FreecycleSalemNH does not allow pets; many other groups do.
How long has Freecycle been around?
Freecycle began in Arizona back in May 2003, when Deron Beal began The Freecycle Network™. At the time he worked with a small nonprofit organization, RISE, which provides recycling services to downtown businesses and transitional employment to Tucsonans in need. As the team recycled, rather than watching perfectly good items being thrown away, they found themselves calling or driving around to see if various local nonprofits could use them. Thinking there had to be an easier way, Beal set up that first Freecycle e-mail group in a way that permitted everyone in Tucson to give and to get. With a Yahoo chat board and a snazzy name, the concept has spread like wildfire!
Freecycle is now active in over 120 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of members—people helping people and ‘changing the world one gift at a time.’ It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. As a result, we are currently keeping over 500 tons a day out of landfills! By giving freely with no strings attached, members of The Freecycle Network help instill a sense of generosity of spirit, and at the same time we strengthen local community ties and promote environmental sustainability and reuse.
I began our Salem, New Hampshire group in January 2004. Steve and I had a home in Salem, NH, that our sellers were scheduled to close in two weeks – but they still had a garage full of professional clothing racks and boxes of maternity clothes! (The seller had previously owned The Sensible Duck, a maternity shop in Salem.) Local charities were glutted with donations and nobody wanted to come to pick up any of the stuff! What a shame it would have been to dump these items! At that time there were only two Freecycle groups in our area: one in Newmarket had about 25 members and one in Cambridge, Massachusetts with about 250 members.
After posting the items, a professional clown contacted me in just TWO DAYS, from the Cambridge group, to arrange pick up all of the items. She wanted the clothing racks for her alter-ego, and she promised to deliver all the maternity clothes to the Salvation Army! I met with the Seller and the clown lady when she came for the pick-up; the whole experience was efficient … and so much FUN!
I immediately recognized the tremendous value this offers to our clients, as well as to other Realtors who may be faced with an impending closing and overwhelmed sellers who may still have a big metal desk in the basement, or workbench and tools in the garage, piles of wood scraps, or old fencing that the new buyers do not want. We used to scramble to have the items removed. Instead, we now simply take a few photos and post the items descriptions on FreecycleSalemNH. The recipients are typically very appreciative for the opportunity to come and pick up the items.
One of our past clients actually had a Freecycle “Yard Sale.” They posted that everything would be available FREE at 8AM on the front lawn … and within 2 hours it was all gone!
In other instances, former clients or friends have just had a major life change, and are living in a new apartment but don’t have the money for decorating or for kitchen items. Many people are experiencing budget challenges these days, and they either respond to the postings, or post for items they want.
Take a look around your home. Do you have stuff that is there just because you don’t have the right place to put it, or you no longer have a use for some items—but tossing them out seems so harsh? Have clothing that your children have outgrown? Need an extra booster seat and don’t want to spend the cash? Or want a tennis racket for your kid?
Non-profit organizations also benefit from The Freecycle Network™. Post the item or items you want to give away and specify that you wish the gift to go to a nonprofit cause. The recipient is entirely your choice! It’s a free cycle of giving. The Freecycle Network™ is incorporated as a nonprofit organization and is tax-exempt under the IRS 501(c)3 ruling.
FreecycleSalemNH was formed to serve the Salem, NH area with surrounding towns around southern NH …for individuals, groups and businesses. Membership is free. Connect with people who are throwing away unwanted items that you want, or who want what you have to throw away … and have a little fun in the process! Please join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleSalemNH. Or find your local group at http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/. Tell a friend about Freecycle!
