Yumans turn to Freecycle to reduce waste

Armed with everything from baby clothes to old sofas, people all over Yuma say they're having fun changing the world - one freebie at a time.

They all belong to an international recycling movement built around lessons that mom taught us: It's better to give than to receive, helping others feels good, and one person's junk is another's treasure.

That's the magic of Freecycle.

Members use the Internet to exchange items that the giver is willing to share for free, but that the receiver just may consider to be as good as gold.

"Freecycle can educate the world at a local level about how critical recycling and reducing waste are," the movement states on its Web site. "It empowers people on a grassroots and local level to take charge and make the world a better place, keeping countless tons of reusable items out of local landfills."

But Freecycle isn't about junk.

"It's a cycle of giving, not charity. Everyone gives to everyone with absolutely no expectations of anything in return," the Web site states, adding that Freecycle is also about building community. "People from all walks of live have joined together to turn trash into treasure."

The only rules are that the item being given be legal, appropriate for all ages (no alcohol or tobacco), and bear the cost of zip, nada, gratis, fantastically free.

Here's how it works: People offering or wanting, say, a kitchen table simply send an e-mail to their local Freecycle forum stating: "Offered: Kitchen table" or "Wanted: Kitchen table." Those e-mails not only appear on the local Web site, but they're forwarded to all local members as well.

It's usually first come first serve - unless the giver wants to find the perfect home - and e-mail is sent out to let everyone else know that the goodie's been grabbed.

Obviously the biggest rule of etiquette is to offer more than you request. Folks are also reminded to be courteous and pick up their items quickly and at the giver's convenience.

Carol Hoffman, a winter visitor from New York City, says she's had a blast giving and getting on Freecycle.

"This is proof that it doesn't cost you anything to be nice!" Hoffman said. "If you can help someone out why let it collect dust in the corner of your house? Plus this stuff isn't going to disintegrate into the earth, which we need to protect. It won't kill you to give it to someone else."

Hoffman has mostly used Freecycle in ways benefiting everyone else but her. The teacher has collected children's books for poor students and she's collected yarn and knitting needles for ladies in retirement homes. She also turned to Freecycle when a friend's daughter was about to become a single mom, getting all the free baby stuff a tyke could ever need.

"Plus the great thing is that I've actually made some good friends by picking up stuff through Freecycle," Hoffman raved. "It's been an great way for us to break into the community. Everyone we've seen has been so good, so nice."

Traci Penfield, a local nursing student, uses Freecycle to give and receive textbooks that would otherwise be very expensive to purchase.

The Freecycle Network was born in 2003 just down the road from us in Tucson. It began with a single e-mail when founder Deron Beal shared his idea with about 40 friends and a handful of Tucson non-profit groups. Well, Beal's idea certainly captured people's imaginations because Freecycle can now be found in 4,140 cities, spanning more than 80 countries.

The network is currently growing at more than 25,000 new members every week and Beal estimates that Freecycle keeps about 400 tons of stuff out of landfills each and every day.

Yuma's network got going in 2004. There were 10 members after a month and 50 after a year. Today a whopping 957 people belong to Yuma's group, according to Veronica Craig, who founded the local chapter and serves as moderator.

"Clothing is probably the thing you see offered the most, along with household items and small appliances," Craig said. "But junk? Yes, there's been some, but mostly it's all pretty good stuff. You see all kinds of stuff offered."

There's usually a handful of e-mails posted each day, with this month's total already working its way toward 200.

Craig said she's seen interesting ways Freecycle has come to the rescue, ranging from deploying Marines finding homes for pets to victims of tragedies getting a jump start on replacing their worldly possessions. Every so often a single mother will post to the Yuma list looking for household items so she can strike out on her own. One recent e-mail simply requested a warm winter coat.

Craig says she doesn't always believe everyone's sob story, but she knows that a lot of folks do believe and that such e-mails garner a strong response from generous members.

But some strange offers make it into the forum every once in a while. Hoffman just roars with laughter when she recalls some weird things she's seen, including used nursing bras and a lid to a crock pot. There's also a lonely-sounding house plant offered back in New York that's been having her giggling here lately.

Penfield said the her favorite find so far was a hot tub. All it needed was a $100 repair.

Hoffman's favorite find by far was the item prescribed by her physical therapist.

"I got myself a skateboard to exercise my knee!" she said. "It's great, too, with all these colorful dragons all over it. So hey, Freecycle must be great if it got a grandma her skateboard!"

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Darin Fenger can be reached at

dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.

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TO JOIN YUMA'S FREECYCLE GROUP GO TO WWW.FREECYCLE.ORG AND SEARCH FOR YUMA. PEOPLE CAN ALSO ACCESS THE LOCAL GROUP'S PAGE DIRECTLY AT HTTP://GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/YUMAFREECYCLE

FREECYCLE IS NOT: A PLACE TO JUST GO GET FREE STUFF FOR NOTHING.

FREECYLE IS: A PLACE TO GIVE OR RECEIVE WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE AND DON'T NEED OR WHAT YOU NEED AND DON'T HAVE - A FREE CYCLE OF GIVING WHICH KEEPS STUFF OUT OF LANDFILLS.

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Source: Freecycle.org