If you’re one of those people who never gets rid of anything because you can’t stand the thought of your discarded chairs, dishes, clothing, shoes, or old gardening tools sitting in the landfill, Freecycle is for you. If you ever find yourself needing something like a new dish rack, moving boxes, or a crate for the dog you just adopted, and a used specimen would do just fine, Freecycle is for you, too.

Freecycle is a place where you can post items you want to give away or items you need to acquire and connect with others in your area who either have what you want or want what you have. I’ve had great luck getting rid of things like dry erase boards, a tea kettle, and a perfectly good deck umbrella. I’ve also had wonderful strangers loan me mini muffin tins for a one-time use. (Of course I returned them with muffins!) Freecycle is a global, grassroots network with groups all over the globe. And with 4,456,000 members, it’s got to be making a difference. And yes, it’s free!

Image and recipe from Flickr friend: ketchumkitchen