by Christopher Smith

Created on: May 08, 2008   Last Updated: May 20, 2008

Save money and help the environment! How to repurpose household items
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One of the very best ways to help the environment-especially the landfills, is to offer your goods to others. How would you do that? Simple! I've had great experience with keeping my unwanted items out of our landfill by offering them on an Internet site titled www.freecycle.com. You may have heard of this web site but were not sure how it works or were unsure of where it might lead.

After signing on with freecycle.com, all you have to do is list the items you are offering in the site's preferred format, as follows:

In the SUBJECT line you need to use the following guidelines:

WANT: - Item - (Your town) Limit two per day,

RECEIVED - Item - Thank You (used by member who posted a "WANT" for the item),

OFFER: - Item - YOUR TOWN,

TAKEN - Item - Your town (only to be done by the person who did the offering).

An example might help here. Let's assume you live in New Hyde Park and have a computer monitor that you no longer need (you've recently upgraded to a plasma unit). You listing would go something like this:

OFFER: 17" Gateway monitor, New Hyde Park

It's that simple! Now, when the monitor is retrieved by someone, you have to let the rest of the freecycle.com world know it, so you'd post the following message:

TAKEN: 17" Gateway monitor, New Hyde Park

By posting the "Taken" message you'll avoid unnecessary inquiring emails after the item is gone.

Using freecycle.com is free, and you can stay with it until all your unwanted (but useable) items are taken by someone who needs what you are offering. But keep in mind that all the items you offer must be free for the taking, and by taking I mean just that: there is no cost to the taker, whoever wants what you are offering will come to pick it up.

So if you have been clearing the attic of your parent's memorabilia and can't decide whether to throw out those old skis, sewing machine, tennis rackets, or whatever, list them on freecycle.com. You'll be surprised how quickly they will be picked up!

While you're at it, you might want to peruse the offerings available on freecycle.com. You might find an item you've needed or have been looking for but didn't have a clue as to where you might find that item.

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