Recycling in cyberspace
Arizona based Freecycle.org keeps tons of trash out of landfills by offering a "cyber-sharing" clearinghouse.
Many people's attention has been turned to living a greener life, becoming better, greener consumers. But what happens after we consume? As the author Francis Moore Lappe says in the book "Diet for a Small Planet," "There is no 'away' to which we throw our stuff."
Nationwide, Freecycle.org keeps 400 tons of waste from entering landfills each day. They ask people to list things on their site that they no longer want, rather than throwing them in the garbage.
There aren't rules other than "keep it free, legal, and appropriate for all ages." While they don't want it to be a place for people to line up for free stuff, having that happen is not such a bad thing.
Deron Beal, founder and executive director of Freecycle talks to"Here and Now" about how it works.
"Ultimately we are giving things away that would otherwise be thrown away. So, if someone is just looking to get something, it is not the end of the world," says Beal. In the end, the users have so much fun with the service that a community of giving begins to develop.
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