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Articles

Clear Out the Clutter With Freecycle

Windsor Journal, December 2004

There's a new group in town, and they're bent on getting rid of and finding good homes for things that are cluttering up their homes. Paula Pierce is the moderator for the Windsor branch of Freecycle. Freecycle is a loosely knit group of people all over the world (with internet and/or email access) who find good homes for items they have no use for anymore. Membership is free. Browse to the Freecycle website to find the local group closest to you.

Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator. Paula Pierce started the Windsor group because as a member of the former Central CT group, many of the items and potential recipients were too far away. Pierce said, "I've gone as far as Middletown for a laser printer but most of the time I like to stay local. Who's got the time to run all over the state? I started the Windsor branch to get more local people involved. After all, there are 29,000 people in Windsor; more than enough to get a good sized group going."

The old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" fits Freecycle so perfectly whether it be wrapping paper, note cards, non-working scanners, cords, curtain rods, etc. "The funniest item I've freecycled was a used calendar from 2001 of lighthouses. The freecycler who took it was decorating a room in a nautical theme so she framed all the pictures." Other items Pierce has found new homes for of are Christmas decorations, paperback books, and broken pottery.

"You won't believe some of the items are really being given a way for free." says Pierce, "I've seen entire beautiful dining room sets, refrigerators, TVs, printers, concrete, punch bowl sets, vacuum cleaners, Christmas trees, cars, and all manner of other small and large items up for grabs." These items have outlived their usefulness for their owners and are offered to anyone else who might want them.

Pierce is a local business owner who hates waste and is always looking for ways to recycle. For instance, when Pierce receives junk mail she opens it and removes the return envelopes before throwing the rest away. She then uses the return envelopes to make her frequent ATM deposits rather than using the bank's new envelopes. "I'm not sure how the bank feels about it, but they haven't complained." Pierce learned of Freecycle.org from Beth Johnson of The Clutter Workshop who encourages her members to simplify their lives and get rid of stuff that just sits around unused.

To join Freecycle, you just need a Yahoo ID, which you can get for free online at Yahoo Groups. (If you have a yahoo email address, you already have a Yahoo ID.) For more information, visit the Freecycle website or send an email to the Windsor Freecycle Moderator, Paula Pierce.

© Copyright 2004 Paula M. Pierce. Paula is the owner of Hosting Connecticut, LLC website development firm in Windsor, CT. You can find information about website services at www.HostingCT.com Tel: 860-655-4236 Fax: 860-298-9617