I’m in Northern Va and my experience matches - Freecycle is crazy hoarders, Buy Nothing was good. Problem w Buy Nothing is that I’m not on FB. App allows you to reach a wider geographic area, but the group for my immediate area was FB only and so it didn’t work out. Also it’s tons of work to photograph, market, and coordinate logistics just to give away your free stuff. I’ve started using Green Drop and other orgs that will send trucks around your neighborhood on specific days, and will pick everything up from your driveway

I like BNG because it helps reduce waste - no one should be buying cardboard boxes or should be buying a pack of 100 of something that they need 1 of. it also gives a place for things that seem to good to to away (I see very little trash on mine). That shirt that didn't fit right, the snowboots for a kid that never saw snow, a board game you thought you would like...all given a second change on BNG.

I live out of the DMV area and my local Buy Nothing group is very active and really useful for people. People get rid of things they don’t need anymore, others save money by recycling someone else’s item, people who buy a five-pack of something but only need two can find a taker for the rest, etc., and the administrators are good about enforcing the rules.

They're incredibly useful. I lost 30 lbs in the past year, and many of my newly-smaller clothes are from the local Buy Nothing group, and I've recycled many of my larger clothes to other members. This is hugely beneficial for the environment as it's kept me from going to Amazon or Target for basic tees and pants.

I've loaned people Halloween costumes, given away unopened food that otherwise would go in the trash, gotten tons of kids' clothes and given lots away, etc.

I know this is an old thread, but I just spent a week with my hoarder parent to help them clean up some rooms you couldn't walk through. What I learned is that hoarders are going to hoard. If they can't get it on Buy Nothing they will get it at Home Goods or the thrift store or the literal side of the road.

So to 2023 OP concerned about enabling that ... yes it is enabling, especially by contributing to the delusion that other people want your junk. But also it seems like the least harmful option. And at least has a social component that plain shopping lacks.

Have you been to thrift stores lately? They SELL trash. I'm talking about old t-shirts that they give you free at summer camps or SWAG items. At least on BN it is free.

As someone who has cleaned out 3 houses that belonged to relatives, you just pay a company and they deal with it all. You can even call a charity and they will haul it all out. You can make the process as hard or as easy as you want it to be truthfully.

My local BN is great. I support sustainability and this is a great way to do that. Yes, there are some crazies and resellers, but that's the benefit of it being neighborhood based. If you do a small enough area, you can kind of know the people. And one person's trash is another's treasure. Someone gave away an old pot and someone took it to use for candle making. Go figure.

I saw a used plastic cutting board with scratches on both sides. When are things just "trash" here?

So now I have seen everything!!! Someone offered an office chair with a poop stain on it!!! Then someone else offered to try and clean the poop off for them.

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking of starting either a Buy-nothing group or a Freecycle group in my neighborhood and I'm curious if people who have experience with either have thoughts to share. Buy-nothing seems to be organized around Facebook, which I think would limit its appeal as not everyone likes using Facebook. On the other hand, I was a member of a Freecycle group in another city and it seemed like it was all crazy people.

More broadly, I worry that these groups don't really help anyone. Specifically, that they just enable people who are hoarders to acquire more junk. I hate to throw usable things away but I worry that creating a mess that the heirs of the hoarder are going to have to pay to have carted to a landfill is even worse.

Thanks.

MYOB. The heirs can call a truck and some people to clean out the house.