Honolulu Weekly

The concept of Freecycle is simple. You have something you no longer need, and you would rather give it to somebody than throw it into the garbage. Fortunately, there is usually at least one person out there who can use it. With this concept, the saying, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ comes alive for all of us and keeps our landfills from filling up with items that still have some life left in them.

At the Freecycle Honolulu and Freecycle Central O’ahu groups, you can post an ‘offer’ message listing your unwanted item. Or if you are looking for an item, you can post a ‘wanted’ message with the name of the item you’re looking for. After that, you simply wait to see if anyone has what you need. It’s that easy.

The items that have passed hands through the Freecycle network on the Big Island, of which I’m a member, range from items as small as plants and plant pots to items as large as beds, computers and printers, washers and dryers, windows and glass sliding doors. The Freecycle group has also passed along books and old magazines, maternity and children’s clothing, lumber and gravel.

There’s one hitch to all of this giving and getting–it has to be free. When you offer an item on any of the Freecycle communities, it has to be with no strings attached. Everything posted must also be legal and appropriate for all ages.

The Freecycle Network started as the brainchild of Deron Beal of Tucson, Ari., in May 2003. It began as a way to conserve resources and keep usable items from filling up the landfills in his community. In short order, it took a life of its own. The Freecycle Network now spans the globe.

Worldwide, there are currently 3,500 Freecycle communities with 2,131,600 members, with new groups forming daily somewhere in the world. Each of these groups or communities is run by at least one or more moderators, all on a voluntary basis. There are no membership fees.

There are five Freecycle groups in the state of Hawai’i–two in O’ahu and one each in Kaua’i, Maui and the Big Island.

If you want to sign up for the either of the O’ahu groups, all you need to do is go to the Freecycle pages on the Yahoo Groups network, click on the ‘Join This Group’ button and follow the simple instructions.

Freecycle Honolulu
groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleHonolulu

Freecycle Central O’ahu
groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleCentralOahu/

Freecycling
www.freecycle.org