The Cupertino Courier
Cover Story
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Colleen Ali-Ahmad, a science teacher and avid baker, utilizes Cupertino Free to collect old scientific equipment and baking items, such as these Mason jars and pie tins.
Freecycle Fever
Those who trade trash for 'treasures' say the practice is addictive
By MIKE BARNHART
As several Homestead High freshmen brainstormed ideas for decorating the school's main quad and the class of 2010's homecoming float for Spirit Week, their faculty adviser knew exactly what to do.
In order to add some glitz to the quad and outfit the float, English teacher Jill Ramacciotti did what hundreds of Sunnyvale and Cupertino residents do each month. She went online to share her needs with a local community of recyclers and reusers called Cupertino Free.
On a Friday she asked for CDs and DVDs to decorate the quad and long swimming pool noodles to adorn the float. By Sunday afternoon, the high schoolers had what they needed.
"It's great to be able to reuse things that belonged to other people and keep them out of landfills," Ramacciotti said.
Across town, Sunnyvale resident Kathy Lunde also was online, offering rocks to four different "regiving" communities, including Sunnyvale and Community Free.
She wrote the following message. "Offered: Irregularly shaped, not smooth. 1-2" diameter average, fairly clean. About a cubic foot worth."
Earlier in the day, Lunde offered a blue, plastic, 2-gallon water container. She had a taker in less than half an hour. It didn't take long for somebody to contact her about the rocks, either. The new owner filled a pothole in front of his house, Lunde said. A few days later she offered some cracked terracotta pots and a black CD rack. Again, there was someone in the community who wanted what she no longer needed.
"It's amazing--you can get rid of a lot of piddly things," laughed Lunde, a regular "freecycling" or "freesharing" participant. "I washed off the broken pot shards instead of throwing them away, and a lady wanted them for a mosaic.
"While you are finding new owners for your used things, you are helping the environment at the same time, and even things that you think, 'Who would want that?' find new owners. Once I had a copy of Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and an itinerant minister from Los Gatos picked it up. He wanted it to do ceremonies."
Lunde has been a receiver as well as a giver, obtaining a collapsible bookshelf and shovels for composting in her back yard. But her most interesting treasure is a chest of drawers, marked 1894, which she is refurbishing on her patio.
"Freesharing or freecycling, whatever you want to call it, is a lot of fun," Lunde said, chuckling. "It's kind of an addiction, really, and it is great for packrats. There's always someone out there who wants your item. There's quite a fascination with it."
On one day, late in September, Sunnyvale Free members offered VCRs, photo albums, pet carriers, volleyball support poles, various furniture and toys. Somebody even threw in a blue, 25-year-old kitchen sink. Name it, and it probably has been offered or asked for.
"It's sort of a game of chance, like a lottery in a way," said Tim Oey, who moderates the Sunnyvale group, along with Lissy Abraham and Dr. Jason Wong, "because when several people respond to an item offered, it's pretty random who actually becomes the new owner."
Lots of business
Cupertino Free's nearly 1,100 members sent out 220 messages in September after averaging about 300 a month for the previous three. Sunnyvale Free was even busier. Altogether, in September, 519 messages were put out on the site by the group's 693 members. More than 400 messages were made each month from June to August. Both groups follow a golden rule: Everything is free.
"We keep everything free and legal," says Gil Maroko, a resident of Cupertino for seven years and the founder of Cupertino Free. "It's a great way to unload items around the house that you feel someone in your community would enjoy rather than placing it in our local landfills. Our goal is simple. It's all about keeping as much stuff out of the landfills and keeping our community beautiful.
"And, want something? Just ask."
What's allowed, how to join
In addition to not costing a cent to receive items, except traveling to pick it up, the two groups have the same basic guidelines: nothing illegal; no adult material; no tobacco or alcohol products. Nor are firearms, profanity, adult screen names or spam e-mail allowed. There are four kinds of member posts: Offer, Taken, Wanted and Received.
Stans Kleijnen joined Cupertino Free just a week before she and her husband moved to Palo Alto in late September, and she's glad she did.
"Our garage free sale was a big success," recalled Kleijnen, who had to downsize 50 percent prior to the move. "After posting it for free on the Yahoo group on Thursday, people contacted me immediately for some of the items."
She had people come over on Friday, a day before the advertised sale. Maroko picked up the Kleijnens' iBook for his daughter, Sarah, 3. Then on Saturday, 100 visitors turned up during the first 45 minutes of the Kleijnens' sale.
"There was a huge traffic jam on our tiny, dead-end street," Kleijnen exclaimed. "It was fun."
She plans on joining Palo Alto Free and becoming both a giver and receiver.
"It is much more fun to post something on FreeShare than just hand stuff off at the Goodwill," Kleijnen said, "and this way you get to give it directly to the interested party.
"I am more conscious now of the benefits of reusing stuff, as you can ask others for things before just going to the store to buy more."
From talking to people at her garage free event, she realized many people truly can't afford to buy things and must rely on others.
"Some of our takers mentioned divorce and having to start all over, and others picked up things for their church," Kleijnen reported. "The fact that so many things went to people who really appreciated it and came to pick it up at our house was very rewarding and attractive."
To join either Cupertino Free or Sunnyvale Free, go to www.freesharing.org or www.sharingisgiving.org. In addition, the Cupertino group can be reached through the city of Cupertino's environmental department at www.cupertino.org/environmental_services.
