The Joy of Free Recycling

By Sara Ann Conkling

It’s 6:30 p.m. Dinner is tucked securely into the microwave. The start button is pushed…and…smoke begins billowing out the top. “Old Faithful” has given up its ghost – literally. What should be done next? Is it time for a quick trip to the store to replace the microwave? Maybe not. For those who have discovered the joy of free recycling, the next microwave could be absolutely free, and only an email away. “I just got a new one and my old one still works” could be the message from a new friend that saves both money and time. For as long as there have been unwanted items, there has been free recycling. New life has been breathed into pre-owned treasures shared between family, friends, and neighbors. For years, charities have picked up unwanted items for needy neighbors. The local radio swap shop has used the airwaves to connect radio listeners with people who have items to share. But for those willing to read and respond to some extra email, the next frontier of free recycling is here. Information technology makes it possible to put a useful item directly into the hands of someone who needs it. That same email inbox also offers the potential to receive a needed item from someone who has an extra one to give.

The free recycle groups function simply. A member registers and starts receiving email from the group. Members respond to offers made by fellow group members, and those making the offers are free to pick the lucky winner of their item. The lucky winner then picks up the item at a mutually convenient time. Most lists share a few basic rules: the items offered have to be absolutely free, completely legal, and appropriate for all ages.

Does free recycling work? The answer is yes, no and sometimes. Free recycle groups can work very well for decluttering a home. A large percentage of offers made on free recycle groups are responded to by members requesting the item. And nothing is too strange to give away – even broken items are sometimes adopted by those who can fix them. “We’ve had people give away bags of rags, or odd socks,” says Marcia Barton, a moderator of free recycle groups in central and south Brevard. “There’s almost nothing that can be given away that someone can’t use.”

The decluttering process can be somewhat slowed by the time it takes to sift through email from potential recipients and the time spent waiting for selected members to pick up an item. “No show” recipients are the scourge of free recycling, and some groups now maintain lists of offenders so that members don’t repeatedly give items to “no shows”. “We have a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy,” says Rick Bushey, moderator of the Cocoa and Merritt Island freecycle group. “This helps keep the number of ‘no shows’ down.”

Another valid concern is personal security when giving away items that are stored at home. Simple steps like leaving items outside the front door can prevent another free recycler from needing to ring the doorbell or come into the home. Having a spouse or friend present during pick-ups is another good idea. Craigslist also offers email anonymity for those who have an item to offer. To enhance free recycle safety, it pays to take a few minutes to read security suggestions on each free recycle site.

For the truly impatient declutterer, a “curb alert” can be posted on Craigslist and some free recycling lists, telling readers what is stacked up outside. This type of post eliminates the need to communicate by email with potential recipient(s), and it also eliminates the “no show” issue. However, most people who desire the items by the curb will be disappointed to find that someone else has shown up first and taken the loot. Much gas will be wasted during these disappointments. For those free recycling for environmental reasons, the curb alert is thus not an acceptable choice.

Likewise, free recycling does not work as well for those needing a long list of specific items, an automobile, or housing. Although mobile homes and cars do occasionally pop up as offers on a free recycling list, when they do appear those offering them are inundated with heart-rending requests from truly needy people. All but one of those needy folks will still be emptyhanded after the home or car is given away. For those donating larger items such as mobile homes and cars, an easier option might be to contact an established charity that has resources to screen potential recipients. List members can also wait until someone posts a “wanted” for their big-ticket item, and thus forego sifting through a huge pile of emotional email.

Barton herself gave away a van to someone on her free recycling list. “I had an old van that had been sitting here for a couple of years, and someone posted that their work truck had blown up and they needed transportation for their kids. They came and got the van, and drove off.”

Bushey also has an interesting story about a BMW that changed hands on his list. “There was a guy who had just bought a used BMW for $2000, and then he had to move to Illinois suddenly. He didn’t know when, if ever, he would get back here for the car, so he gave it away on the list.”

Moderator Charlotte Hess also gave away a couple of cars on her two lists that span the whole county. “My teenagers had left them, and moved on to better cars.

People would show up to get them, and they couldn’t believe that the cars ran so well.” Many who enjoy free recycling just browse lists and wait for something to pop up that they can use. “Free stuff attracts people,” says Hess. “I like free stuff, too,” she laughs. To encourage a focus on giving, Hess’ lists require members to post an offer before they can ask for something they want from other members. “Some members come in with a list of things they want. But soon they realize that they also have something they can give to others,” she says.

For a single item request, free recycling can sometimes work very well. Clothes change hands often, as does furniture of all shapes and sizes. Appliances, cookware, and electronics are hitand- miss; smaller items can often be acquired successfully. It never hurts to ask, and sometimes there’s a pleasant response from someone who has a wish list item tucked into a corner of his or her garage. Overall, moderators estimate that the success rate for fulfilled “wanted” postings ranges from 50 to 70 percent. “You’re a whole lot less likely to receive the newest Playstation, than you are to receive the older one,” says Barton. “And you might not get that 25-inch TV you asked for, but you might get a 13-inch that fulfills the need.” Ironically, the moderators who donate countless hours of time to free recycle lists rarely receive goodies from their own lists. “Someone once gave me a beautiful new crib and changing table for my grandchild, and I almost felt guilty about taking it,” said Hess.

Brevard residents who need paint or mulch should also consider acquiring it free from the county recycling facilities. County recycling coordinator Pam Shoemaker, who laughingly describes herself as “the only county employee who gets paid to talk trash all day,” encourages residents to enjoy the free county goodies, and also to dispose of broken items properly in their trash, recycling bins, or at the proper county facility. “A lot of people don’t realize that if they give something that is broken to charity, the charity has to pay to dispose of that item,” she says. “It’s better to find someone who can fix it on a free recycle group — or if that’s not possible, to dispose of it properly yourself.”

For those who join, free recycle groups offer more than just the opportunity to declutter or obtain free stuff. “We’ve done a lot of good things,” says Hess. “We’ve prevented stuff from hitting the landfills, and we’ve built a nice community here.”

Bushey agrees that the best benefit of free recycle groups is the friendships that develop. “You’ll see someone offering congratulations on the wedding, or asking how it’s going with their son,” he says. “They’re not just giving away an item – they’re making a friend.”

Free Recycling Resources:

Space Coast Craigslist – Free items offered at http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/zip/
WPIO Swap Shop – Free classified ads Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Call the station at 321-267-3000.

Cocoa Merritt Island Freecycle – List offers and wanteds at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cocoa-Merritt-Island-Fl-Freecycle/

Space Coast Free Recyclers – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cocoa-Merritt-Island-Fl-rCycle/

Melbourne Freecycle – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Melbourne_FL-Freecycle/

Melbourne Free Recyclers – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MelbourneFl-rCycle/

Patrick Air Force Base Free Recycling Group – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PAFBFreerecyclers/

North Brevard Free Stuff Community – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthBrevardFreeStuffCommunity/

Titusville Freecycle – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TitusvilleFL-Freecycle/

Port Saint John Freecycle – List offers and wanteds at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PortSaintJohn_Freecycle/

Brevard County Free Paint – 2250 Adamson Road, Cocoa and 3600 South Street, Titusville, call 321-633-2043 for availability before you go.

Brevard County Free Mulch – 2279 Sarno Road, Melbourne, and 3600 South Street, Titusville.

Brevard County Recycling Directory - http://www.brevardcounty.us/swr/recydir.cfm

Brevard County Reuse Directory - http://www.brevardcounty.us/swr/reusedir.cfm