Get rid of your junk on Tampa Freecycle

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That’s the premise of the Freecycle Network. The concept is simple. Instead of throwing away items that might still be useful such as furniture, knick-knacks, clothes, tools or just about anything else, you put it up on a message board and people can claim it. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something, and most anything is perfectly acceptable to ask for, you can post a wanted ad and people may respond. With over 4,675 groups with 6,365,000 members, this is a community that grows daily and has helped so many people.

I’ve been a freecycle member for many years. 5 years ago in Michigan, I was a moderator for a few of the groups there. I saw the efforts of freecycle help many families who had nothing and were living in squaller to get on their feet. I also saw many people with garages full of junk able to find new space without filling landfills. It was very rewarding seeing the process at work. This is the re-use portion of the the reduce-reuse-recycle movement, and it’s making a big impact.

When I was down on my luck and trying to get my life together, freecycle helped me furnish my entire house. Couches, beds, tables, even a computer all just for asking for it. When I was able to afford nicer things, I freecycled the old stuff back out, as well as some other things I had gathered along the way. These days, I pick up a few nice things if I see them, but I seem to give more than I ask for. Last night, I picked up a 55 gallon fish tank from a very nice local freecycler. A month ago, I gave away 3 computers that I refurbished and a bunch of tech gear to needy families. The give and take is a thrill in and of itself.

Every city has a Freecycle. The Tampa Freecycle is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freecycletampa/

As of this morning, they had 15,122 members. Feel free to sign up and post your offers or wants.

Social Activism