Freecycle Group in Walpole Looks to Keep Unwanted Items Out of Landfills

Freecycle, a Yahoo community group that offers a way to share your no-longer-needed items with strangers who may need them, and also offers a forum for you to request items for which you might be looking.

“It's a great organization, and its mission, which is to keep usable items out of our landfills, has both global and local impact,” said Linda Kennedy, who started the Walpole/Norwood/Foxborough/Sharon group in 2004 after moving to Walpole.

She started Freecycling in 2003 when she lived in Watertown; she was dismayed to see a similar group did not exist in Walpole. 

She now serves as moderator of the group, making sure the group runs smoothly, that members follow the rules, and approving applicants who want to be part of the group which boasts more than 2,600 members.

If you have an item you want to give away, post a message on the Walpole Freecycle website. That message is put on an electronic bulletin board and sent to all members who ask to be notified when an item is listed. People will respond directly to you via email. 

When you select someone to “win” your item, you create a pick-up plan, leave the item on your porch/lawn/driveway at the designated time, your fellow Freecycler picks it up and you are all set.

If you see a posted item that interests you, you respond to the email with a pick-up plan. Most people are eager to get the item out of their house as soon as possible. You then go to their house and pick up the item.

If you are searching for something – anything from a beach towel to Christmas decorations to baby clothes to a refrigerator – you post a WANTED message. 

Kennedy said she has given away toddler beds, kid's clothing and toys, a microwave oven, and a couch; and she has received several boxes of books, an armchair, a pair of ski pants, and most recently, a wooden swing set.  

She says there are several great reasons why people should use Freecycle.

“First, the process of re-gifting usable items instead of discarding them keeps them from filling up our landfills and eases the trash collection burden of our local towns,” she said. “Secondly, in today's economy, getting gently-used items instead of buying brand new ones makes sound economical sense for families watching the bottom line. And thirdly, there is a genuine sense of happiness that comes from ‘gifting’ items to others and knowing that they are going to good use.”

Kathy Glennon of Walpole has been freecycling for about five years.

“I have gotten anything from a book on starting your own business to snow pants for one of my kids to a foot bath basin for outside the pool,” she said, noting that she tends to give away more things than she takes because “I hate to throw good things away just because we don't want them anymore.”

She said her kid's toys are the most popular, particularly the plastic backyard toys. 

“I have also freecycled other things like gift bags, chairs, driveway sealer, vacuum bags, cake decorating books, Christmas lawn deer, silly bands, window boxes, used black lawn edging, packages of diapers etc,” she said.  “There always seems to be someone out there who wants it - and most times 20 or 30 people want it.” 

Tari Fanderclai of Norwood starting freecycling last year.

“I use it to give away things that are in good condition but not worth the trouble of selling on Craigslist,” she said. “I've given away a table and chairs, some luggage, several pairs of slacks, a laptop charger, a can of Tinkertoys, a glass casserole dish, accessories for a Scooba floor cleaner, approximately one million plastic hangers, some decorative items, etc.”

She said she also watches the “wanted” postings because it reminds her of things she has that she should get rid of. To date, she has not used the group to get anything but has only given things away.

And she loves it.  

“Freecycling is about the easiest, most self-serving good deed I know how to do. I post what I have, I tell the ‘winner’ where to pick up the item, I put it on the porch, and it goes away. I'm no longer tripping over something I don't use, I didn't put it in a landfill, I helped someone else out, and I did almost no work,” she said.

For more information on the group and how it works, click here.