One Man's Trash, Another Man's Treasure

Feb. 28 - KGO (KGO) -- Most of us have heard of eBay or Craigslist where good deals can occasionally be found. But what about something for free -- no strings? Something called "Freecycle" is apparently catching on big around the Bay Area.

We live in a wide, wonderful world of plenty. Some of that plenty may look like junk, but it's also a matter of interpretation.

Stan Flouirde, San Francisco: "I've collected about 14,000 computer keyboards."

Stan Flouride of San Francisco, for instance, is on a quest to gather enough computer keys to cover one entire automobile for an art project.

Stan Flouride: "And when they look very closely, they'll see that it says things."

ABC7's Wayne Freedman "Like?"

Stan: "Open the pod bay doors, Hal."

But it's all good and admirable. Stan is part of a Web community called Freecycle. "Send me your keyboards," Stan wrote. "You're tired, you're poor. Don't throw them out."

Stan Flouride: "I'm all about recycling."

If we do live in what has become a disposable society, Freecycle brings a new take to the concept of wasting not, and wanting not. Give it away, no strings.

Ann Blocker, Freecycle moderator: "The idea here was either you didn't want to bother to sell it, or maybe it was something that didn't have monetary value anymore, but still had useful value."

Ann Blocker is one of the moderators. She keeps track of the 6,000 Bay Area people who sign up, ask, or offer, hundreds of times a day.

It's the idea that nothing is too big or too small to throw away. For instance, on Ann's kitchen counter, there's a stack of acrylic picture frames. She offered them on Freecycle, and somebody wants them.

Wayne Freedman: "She could go to the five and dime for less effort."

Ann Blocker: "She could, yes. And sometimes with the little things you wonder, why do people bother? But it's a great connection.

It is evidence of a greener connected philosophy among more than one million Freecyclers in groups around the world.

Chris Dichtel, San Francisco: "Yeah, it's a pretty broad spectrum of stuff, you know?"

When somebody ruined Chris' stereo by spilling a glass of red wine into it, he found a replacement system on Freecycle.

And the bed? Same drill, minus the wine.

ABC7's Wayne Freedman: "Wait a minute, nce you take it, you're stuck with it, right?"

Chris Dichtel: "Well, yeah. Sure."

The community even has people who have used Freecycle to furnish entire offices.

Tony Imperial, Nextarts.org: "We turned down a Hammond organ yesterday."

Tony Imperial figures that Freecycle saved him $8,000 dollars in chairs, computers, fax machines and TV sets.

Tony Imperial: "I think it's really about being responsible. A lot of this stuff would probably have wound up in a trash bin if we wouldn't have used it."

Ann Blocker: "It certainly says that we care about the environment and we're trying to keep things out of landfills."

Stan Fluoride: "I gave away five vacuum cleaners last year."

Tony Imperial: "I really don't have an explanation for it. I'm too busy being thankful for it."

Grateful, while keeping an eye on the Web for the next trash treasure. Who knows what you might miss.

Chris Dichtel: "There's somebody offering a single AAA battery."

We think by now, it's gone.

To find the group closest to you, visit www.freecycle.org.

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