A New Orleans Internet community is encouraging neighbors to give and receive free stuff online.

By Denise Trowbridge, New Orleans CityLife, August 2004.

On the Internet, one man’s trash can turn into another’s treasure. Proof positive is Ebay, a site that has essentially become the world’s largest yard sale.

Rachel Nicolosi is hoping another Web site will turn more of New Orleans’ trash into treasure. She is the founder and volunteer moderator of the New Orleans Freecycle Web site and Internet group, a virtual community dedicated to giving — and getting — free stuff online.

The concept, she says, is simple. Freecycling is giving your cast-offs away instead of throwing them into the garbage.

The process is simple, too. Anyone with an unwanted item posts a message on the Web site; the first person who wants it responds via e-mail, then arranges to pick it up. Or, those who need something but are short on cash can post a "wanted" message outlining their request and wait for a reply. There are only two rules: no pets and everything posted must be free — no money changing hands and no strings attached.

It’s perfect for those who don’t want to bother with an online auction — or who are the guardians of boxes of seemingly unsalable items such as socks with a hole in the toe or chipped dishes — but would rather put their discards in the hands of someone who will use them than in a landfill. "It’s an easy way to do something good for the environment," Nicolosi says.

That’s one reason freecycling is becoming more popular not only in New Orleans, but around the world. At press time, 828 cities and more than 165,000 people were participating in freecycling groups across the United States and the world.

The first freecycle site was started by Deron Beal, the manager of a nonprofit recycling service in Tucson, Ariz. in 2002 when he couldn’t find any thrift stores who could take the computers and desks companies wanted to recycle. His idea — creating a "cyber curb" where people could leave their trash for someone to pick up — resonated with online environmentalists, activists, artists and nonprofit groups.

Louisiana currently has eight freecycling sites covering cities such as Shreveport, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. New Orleans is the state’s largest with more than 600 members.
New Orleans freecyclers have exchanged everything from climbing roses and liriope, couches and DVDs to ceiling fans, tents, desks and dishwashers. Even seemingly useless items such as well-worn crayon stubs and threadbare bath towels have found new homes via the New Orleans freecycle community.

"People are excited about it because it’s connected to their everyday life. It’s environmental activism that is personal rather than abstract," Nicolosi says. "It gives users immediate satisfaction."

New Orleans freecyclers are also seeing unexpected side effects.

The site has become more than just a place to empty cluttered closets and find free treasures online; it’s turned into an easy way to assist nonprofits and people in need, to meet new people and create a bond with others in the community, as well as help the environment by reducing the amount of solid waste destined for New Orleans area landfills.

Turning consumerism into community
"We are a pack rat society," says Nicolosi, who by day is the project coordinator for the Literary Alliance of New Orleans. "As a society, we are told to buy more and buy more and then just get rid of it because it’s all disposable."

Her mantra, on the other hand, is "Declutter. Declutter. Declutter." "I live by the less is more philosophy," Nicolosi says. "I only keep the things that really bring me joy."

For her, freecycling was a logical, immediate and satisfying way to strengthen the community while dealing with the waste issues arising from consumerism. "We can lobby and write letters to Congress about environmental issues, but it’s not as immediately satisfying as freecycling," she says. "When someone gives something to someone who can really use it, they feel good."

She’s given away bonsai pots, videos and a child’s tent. And sticking to her declutter rule, she has yet to acquire anything from the group, although she did try to score a plant for her Uptown home’s backyard. "It was already spoken for. You’ve got to be fast, because if you wait, it’ll be gone."

She started the New Orleans freecycle group in December, after she read an article about freecycling in the Utne Reader. The site then grew via word of mouth and now gains 20 to 30 new members every week.

Joni Pinkney, a professional and volunteer math tutor, is one of those members. She has been recycling since she was a child. She is a self-proclaimed "1960s drop-out," an environmentalist at heart who prefers to live simply and tread lightly on the earth. She doesn’t own a car; she rides a bicycle instead. When she puts her blue recycling bin on the curb Sunday nights, it’s full. And when the turntable in her microwave broke, she opted to repair it even though it would have been cheaper to buy a new microwave. "My friends thought I was silly," Pinkney says. "But microwaves aren’t biodegradable. You can’t just throw it into the garbage and hope it will turn into a pile of dust in 50 years. It won’t. In 50 years, it will still be a microwave."

It’s no surprise that Pinkney is an avid freecycler. She has given away a television, an aquarium stand and plants she cultivated from the seeds of fruit she bought at Whole Foods Market. She is currently seeking a new home for her landlord’s vintage home gym equipment. "I’ve even pulled stuff out of my neighbor’s trash and posted it on the freecycle site," she admits. "I recycle everything I can."

In return, she has gotten a calculus textbook that she uses to tutor her high school- and college-aged students.

To Pinkney, the primary benefit of freecycling is obvious. "Americans just keep consuming and consuming and never think of where things come from or where it’s going to end up. People don’t think, they just use," she says. "New Orleans is below sea level and we only have so much land. If we use it as a landfill, where are we going to live?"

For environmental activists, a small success like a freecycling transaction is good for morale. "That’s how you make a dent and keep from getting overwhelmed," says Nicolosi.

Giving something directly to someone who can use it is an equally satisfying experience. "It is easier to just call Goodwill or the Salvation Army to come pick it up, but I like to freecycle because I actually get to meet the person who is benefiting from my going the extra mile," Pinkney says. "Humans are social animals but in modern society, it’s hard to connect with each other. Every little bit helps."

Freecycling has in fact helped connect people in New Orleans; many friendships have been forged between givers and receivers. "It’s really good for people who may not be part of a church or a large social network," Nicolosi says. "It’s an easy way to meet like-minded people."

Wanted: divine intervention and used bath towels
Glenn "Buddy" Munkres has only posted one message on the New Orleans freecycling site. Its title was simple: "Trying to live a dream." So was the message: "I am new to this site so I am not sure how to do this. My wife and I are looking for property to open a retreat for Christians. Whether it is an old motel, retreat, farm or woodland to start from scratch, if God should lead you to help or pray, please e-mail us."

Munkres, a plumber who lives on the West Bank, is a preacher’s son who grew up in Idaho. As a child, he remembers his family rarely took vacations because there weren’t many inexpensive, family-friendly places for them to visit. Munkres wants to create a nonprofit, nondenominational vacation retreat and meeting place for Christian families and ministers; a place where there are no TVs or videos games, and families can bond via quality time and nature walks. "Unfortunately, this all takes money," Munkres says, "which is why I am working hard."

He discovered the freecycle site while fixing a client’s plumbing. The client suggested that Munkres post his request for land on the Web. "I’m trying to put this retreat together and to have God place it in our hands," he says. "Someone out there has land that they are not using. When the time is right, God will put it in their heart that this is what they should use it for."

He hasn’t had any responses yet, but Munkres is convinced that the freecycle site has the potential to do good things for those in need. He saw the good it could do when he told a friend about the New Orleans Freecycle Group. She owns an apartment building with a large number of Section 8 units, and many of her tenants are in need of basic items like furniture. "She checks the site two or three times each week now," Munkres says. "She helps them find the things they need and arranges for them to pick them up."

Nonprofits are also inadvertently benefiting from freecycling.

Bonnie Hirschberg recently posted a "wanted" message asking for used bath towels. She collects the towels from freecyclers then donates them to New Orleans animal rescue shelters. "I’m a member of the LA/SPCA and I adopt animals from there. I just love dogs more than anything and want to do what I can for those who help them," Hirschberg says.

Pinkney also uses the freecycle site to gather donations for local charities, sometimes picking up supplies for Recycle For the Arts, a nonprofit that supplies low-cost art supplies to the region’s artists and schools.

"I think freecycle is an excellent resource for nonprofits whose budgets will only stretch so far." Hirschberg says. "I just think it’s a great idea and can actually fathom the number of needy people this site could help."

But only a handful of nonprofits have participated directly. "I would like to do more outreach to nonprofits," Nicolosi says, because many organizations may not know the freecycling community exists, even though it could benefit them.

Nicolosi and Dar Wolnick, the founder and moderator of New Orleans Free Stuff, another citywide Internet freecycling group, hope New Orleans nonprofits will soon embrace the city’s freecycling resources.

The potential benefits for the needy in New Orleans are obvious, Wolnick says, because freecycling is a way to meet the two basic goals of social activism: "strengthening the community and redistributing resources for a more equitable world," she says. "Naturally, freecycling fits right in and it’s wonderful to see so many people embrace it. "

Nicolosi and Wolnick would also like to raise awareness and host freecycling events. "Something like a giant flea market, only everything is free," Nicolosi says with a laugh. Wolnick is thinking about partnering freecycle events with the Crescent City Farmer’s Market; she is the market’s associate director.

In the meantime, a growing number of New Orleans residents are embracing the spirit of freecycling. "If my stuff can help someone somehow more than being tossed in a trash heap," Hirschberg says, "I’m more than happy to pass it on."