I first learned about Freecycling from yesterday’s Slashdot story on organizing gear. And, later that day, Salon had an article on Freecycling. In short, Freecycle lists are regional mailing lists for giving away stuff in the hopes of finding someone else who may be able to use it:
Via Freecycle, Wallis has also received his share of gifts from people he'd never met before: a little tabletop fountain, a 35-millimeter camera, a toaster-oven and a mini-fridge.
[…]
If a true packrat hordes, a “freecycler” can’t stand to see something that might be useful to someone else go to waste, languishing unused in a musty garage, attic, bottom dresser-drawer or — worse yet — a landfill. That type of person has always existed, but today, thanks to the efficient distribution capabilities of the Internet, Wallis has joined forces with an entire tribe of thrifty givers. At Freecycle everything is free, and you can get rid of practically anything, from a pile of dirt to a beading loom. […]
I checked out the Freecycle site and, sure enough, there’s a DFW Freecycle list. I don’t have much to give away at the moment, but this could be handy for the next time I clean out my closet (better that someone might be able to use my stuff than it end up in a landfill).
This is CRAZY! I’ve got a whole garage full of stuff I just won’t throw out because surely SOMEONE would want it. What a God-send. But will they take my old 386 or should I donate it to a museum? ;)
there was and has been a list at mit called reuse@mit.edu. I have long been an advocate of the theory that the reason MIT is the best technical school is that it has reuse.
I’ve gotten some good crap off of reuse. A couple scopes, a nerd kit (a series of protoboards with power supplies (GND, +5, +/-15) built into a suitcase, a car bumper, a set of lockers.
!@
Adrian
While I like freecycle, I also like another service at http://www.abcfree.com. Both services are all about keeping useful goods out of our landfills, so the
earth is the big winner. I like ABCFree because it allows you to make a “wish list” and you just get contacted when something that you are looking for
comes up in your area. Also, ABC gives a portion of its revenue to schools so kids are also big winners.
Howdy I really like the layout of your blog, what theme are using? I recently started my own webpage and can’t locate a good theme to use.