FREECYCLE.COM

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Freecycle.com
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, January 23, 2005

In an effort to fulfill my new year's resolution: "one in, two out," I have come across a new concept of managing waste: www.freecycle.org.

Freecycle is the brainchild of Deron Beal, manager for a nonprofit organization called RISE Inc. located in Tucson, Arizona. One of the organization's goals is to reduce the waste being sent to landfills by promoting recycling. Beal created a Web-based community where people can post items they no longer want. The idea was to give away things before they could be thrown away.

Since it began in May 2003, Freecycle has grown from one group in Tucson to 2100 groups worldwide. From India to Australia more than 768,000 people are giving stuff away over the Internet. Local groups are run by a volunteer moderator and membership is free.

My next step was to find a local Freecycle™ Network. I found one in Vacaville and one in Napa. I signed up and Amy Fox, the Vacaville moderator, responded with instructions on how Freecycle works.

Amy learned about Freecyclers from a local mothers web group. She lives in an apartment complex and noticed that people were constantly throwing things out that were in good shape.

After investigating freecycle.org, she decided to take the plunge and set up a site for Vacaville. Amy noted that "As a mother of four and full-time homemaker, I rarely get an opportunity to volunteer in the community. I really enjoy having the responsibility, especially when I get uplifting emails thanking me for my work or see someone really benefit from giving or getting items from other members."

How does Freecycle work?

When you no longer need something such as a baby bed, boat, or snow cone maker, you simply "offer" your item through this email service to your Freecycle group. When you find something that you want, you contact the "offered" email. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the item and to set up a pickup time. A "taken" email is then posted. If you need something, you can placed a "wanted" email.

The rules are simple. Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. They want no politics, religion, money, or spam on the site.

Nonprofit organizations can also benefit from The Freecycle Network. Post the items you want to give away and a local organization can help you get it to someone in need. Check out the Vacaville site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vacaville_freecyclers/.

If anyone in Vallejo or Benicia is interested in setting up a Freecycle site, Amy is willing to give advice. The Vacaville site was started in April 2004 and currently has 702 members. Amy admitted that she spent up to 30 hours per week for the first couple of months getting the network started. Their Freecycle booth at Vacaville's Kid Fest netted many new members and they are planning a spring event. Currently, she spends about a hour a day because she has two volunteers, Lisa and Heather, who share the responsibilities by approving posts and making sure that everyone is following the guidelines. Contact Amy at afox2004@comcast.net or go to freecycle.org web site for instructions on how to start a group.

If you don't have a computer, you can go to the library and sign up for a free Yahoo account on their public internet computers.

Other local exchange sites include the ReUse Barn page on VALCORErecycling.org as well as SolanoMax.org, CalMax.org and recycle-guide.com. You can also check out the Solano County's Exchange Forum (http://foxa71.proboards38.com/index.cgi) which is a bartering site for items, information and services for Solano County residents.

Phone Book Recycling

Vallejoans can recycle old phone directories at VALCORE Recycling or in their curbside bins. Businesses can put them in their recycling bins. Vallejo Garbage is also accepting them Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.