freecycling is the [new] recycling

It's not really all that new, but while I have been part of their group for some time now, I never had the opportunity to participate. Until now, that is. Freecycle is basically a group of Yahoo groups, all over the country (and maybe farther and wider than that), where you can post:

OFFER - to get rid of your stuff
TAKEN - to announce that you have taken someones offer
WANTED - to request something
RECEIVED - to announce that someone has given you your item

People are posting constantly. I see many things that people want to get rid of, like baby furniture, clothes, electronics, I even saw a car one time. More often than not, there are plenty of folks out there looking to pick up that old junk - you know the line, one man's trash is another's treasure.

Over the weekend, I was looking at bundt pans. I have been wanting one for a while, but not when I saw the price. Granted, I was in William Sonoma where you can't get out of there without spending at least $20 on a coffee cup. I figured there was someone out there who had one they wanted to get rid of and I was hoping for a cake plate as well. So off I went to the freecycle board, posted, received and picked up - all within a six hour time frame. And the pan was brand new in the box to boot. INSANE and wonderful all at the same time.

The next time you're thinking of throwing something in the trash, because you don't feel like driving it down to the Good Will or Salvation Army, put up a quick post. Who knows, maybe you'll be surprised. Similarly, next time you're thinking about buying something that could easily be a second-hand item, try it out. If you take this simple step you too can be part of the thousands of people trying to keep all those things that aren't trash out of our landfills. It may seem like one man can't move a mountain, but collectively we can make a difference and become part of the climate change solution!

Oh, and don't be surprised if you see a few photos of a bundt cake sometime soon.

*k*