Recycle items via e-mail

With nice weather finally showing its sunny face, many people are getting the itch to do some spring cleaning. This seasonal race to regain your home’s summer sparkle can create quite the dilemma. What do you do when you come across those old items that you no longer have any use for? Maybe its a tire from a car you no longer own, skis you no longer use, or material from a project you were going to finish five years ago. These items are still useful, just not to you anymore. So, the question becomes, what do you do with them?
The answer may be the Freecycle Network(tm). Union County Freecycle is this wonderful email service which allows you to electronically post something that you want to be “Taken” from your house. The email is sent to approximately 450 members of the Union County Freecycle Network. If someone is interested in what you have offered, they email you directly. You then work out the details for the pick up or delivery of the item you don’t want anymore. The system also works if you need something, you can post a “Need” and if a Freecycle member has the item to giveaway, they email you directly.
“ The old adage one man’s trash is another man’s treasure is definitely true in Union County,” says Shawn Sech, co-moderator for the Union County Freecycle Group. “We have offers of food dehydrators, ice cream maker, furniture, grills, electronics- you name it. We also have the flip side of people wanting items such as broken electronics, prom dresses, seed spreaders, etc.”
The Freecycle Network has a specific goal and operates under a few guidelines. The goal of the network is to prevent usable items from ending up in the landfill. Almost anything can be posted to the site as long as it is free and appropriate for all audiences. Posts are reviewed by a moderator from the Union County Health Department to make sure that inappropriate posts do not reach the group. The Freecycle group is local in nature so it is limited to people who live or work in Union County, which helps individuals keep transportation expenses down when picking up or dropping off items. These guidelines ensure Freecycle is good for both the environment and the pocket book.
To subscribe to the Union County Freecycle Network, simply send an email to unioncoohiofreecycle – subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To find out more information about Freecycle and where else there may be groups, please contact the Union County Health Department at 937-645-2053.

Edited by UCP staff.