A Green Success: Freecycled Television

There was a time in our lives when we didn't go an hour without checking Craigslist -- we needed jobs, furniture, and housing (luckily, that was some time ago). But, given all that Craigslist dependence, we're a little embarrassed to admit that, until tonight, we'd never used Freecycle, an online community that's all about giving away stuff you don't need to other people who do.

Well, we gave away an old but still functioning television tonight via Freecycle, and we're true believers now. Never has a transaction been so easy and pleasant. The woman we'd spoken with earlier in the day showed up right on time and couldn't have been more grateful. We were thrilled.

Awhile back we talked about the Recycle vs. Freecycle dilemma. At the time, we voted to Freecycle a television if it is still working well, and we even suggested affixing a subtle sticker to the back to help the new owners recycle when the time is right.

We followed our own advice and tried to be as un-annoying as possible.

What do you think?

Comments (4)

Well done, why trash a CRT when someone is still willing to pay the bill to watch it?

I should try this with my ex-kitchen table (replaced with one that actually fits in my dining area from CL).

I just tried our local Freecycle a month or so ago for the first time and I am hooked. Folks are very organized and for the most part reliable. We've had the opportunity to give stuff away and also picked up a few neat items that we've wanted, but not thought worth buying new, such as an apple peeler/corer and a classic little trike for our son.

However, about 5 years ago I signed onto Freecycle in an different town and it was an absolute online zoo and nuisance to be a part of... I think that how the moderator runs an individual group may make all the difference!

We live on a block with 5 apartment buildings, and a lot of the people (like us) have lower incomes. So the way we freecycle is: wait for nice weather then leave it neatly outside the big garbage skips. 90% of the time someone takes it.

(I'm not yet sophisticated enough in my greenness to know where to recycle electronics, esp. with no car.)