Print Freecycle-Whitney Moore

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is an old adage which is the basis for a modern way of giving and helping the environment at the same time. The Freecycle Network is an internet site that offers items that would normally go in the trash to people who can use them.

Freecycle began in Tucson, Ariz., in 2003. Founder Deron Beal was working for a nonprofit organization that offered free recycling to businesses around Tucson when he developed the idea for Freecycle. Beal noticed the businesses were throwing away many useful items. Instead of tossing them, he and his co-workers would drive around to other nonprofits to see who needed the items. Thinking of ways to make the process easier, Beal began to use emails to match items to people who need them at no cost. Beal set up the original email list for The Freecycle Network on May 1st, 2003. The list soon grew to a public forum where anyone could give away items.

Freecycle has since spread to over 85 countries, with thousands of chapters hosting millions of members. There are 39 groups in Mississippi. The Freecycle Network estimates its users save 500 tons of garbage a day from going into landfills.

The goal of Freecycle is to keep useful items from reaching landfills. For a person to begin using Freecycle he or she has to register with the local chapter via Yahoo Groups. The local chapter can be located by going to www.freecycle.org and typing in a city.

Once registered, a user will post a message about an item he or she is looking to give away. The item can be anything that would otherwise go to a landfill, clothes, boxes, scrap metal, etc. When the item has been spoken for, the user posts a message telling everyone else the item is no longer available. The person picking up the item will meet the user giving it away.

In addition to posting items, users can post messages saying they are in search of items. This works the same way. Users will respond if they have the item for which the person is searching. All items must be given away. No money is allowed to be collected for items posted on Freecycle.

Each chapter has a moderator that oversees the messages sent. The moderator checks all messages, especially the ones by new members, to ensure proper Freecycle standards are being met. These standards include, only offering things which would otherwise go in landfills, the frequency of people requesting items, and whether or not an item is being offered for money.

Chris Boothe is the moderator for the Oxford chapter. All new members are monitored to confirm the rules are being followed, Boothe said. Messages sent by new members must first be approved by Boothe before being posted. After a trial period, the member can automatically post messages without approval, though messages can be reviewed by the moderator at any time.

“There are rules people have to follow, and there are reasons for those rules. For example, we don’t allow pets to be offered. Many times pet offers come through and I have to reject those.

“The main restriction is the item must be family friendly, or it is refused. Also, money can’t be mentioned. If someone offers to sell or trade, I’ll edit those messages to pull out the money portion of it,” Boothe said.

Services are also prohibited from being posted.

“The Freecycle guideline is to only offer items than would otherwise go in a landfill. Services don’t fit in that category,” Boothe said.

Boothe said in larger cities people post curb alerts, though it is not used in Oxford.
“People will put a message on Freecycle saying ‘I’m putting a couch on the curb’ to warn people if no one has gotten it within a certain amount of time the trash truck comes through,” Boothe said.

Even though Freecycle involves meeting strangers to exchange items, Boothe said he does not feel that there is a safety risk involved, especially in a city the size of Oxford.

“We are a small community. I don’t worry about safety so much. Some of the bigger communities probably do. Whenever I’ve done the offers, I’ve had people I don’t know come into my home. People are generally good. I haven’t heard any horror stories.”

Michelle Chatham, a member of the Oxford chapter, said she loves the idea of Freecycle.

“I think it’s a fantastic program. It promotes the spirit of charity and giving. Hopefully, it makes people stop to think before throwing away useful items,” Chatham said.