Freecycle

I'm sure everyone knows about Freecycle.org, but just in the off-chance you don't, here is some most worthwhile information:

*What do we get when we combine the gift economy, sustainable thinking, and craigslist.com? Freecycle.org, a fantastic "reverse eBay" for the stuff we no longer want.

The premise is simple: you join a "freecycling" e-mail listserv for your local community, on which people proffer the things they might otherwise take to the dump, give to charity, or simply leave on the curb. At last count, there were hundreds of such lists set up, in communities large and small.

The Internet is terrific at making markets more efficient, and there is indeed a market for many things we would otherwise throw away. Sure, you could post that box of random computer cables on eBay, but your time is frankly better spent doing other things. All you really care about is keeping those cables from ending up in a landfill. If someone is willing to show up and take them away, even if they use just one, the result is still a reduction in waste. Furthermore, if they use just that one cable, then sell the rest on eBay for a profit, all the better for them. Anything to keep the cables from the landfill. This is a stellar example of win-win thinking.

(*from Worldchanging, p.33)