What is a Reuse Group? It is a group of people who give perfectly good used things they no longer want or need to other people in their community that can use them. This prevents unwanted but still usable items from ending up in dumps and landfills.

The groups typically communicate with each other via e-mail to offer items. People sign up for group and then can see what is being offered in their community and can offer things of their own that they want to get rid of.

What the reuse groups aren’t is a marketplace. It is not for buying and selling items but is for giving items away to other people or for people to find items they could use.

There are thousands of reuse groups around the world. Click here to see if there is one in your area to join. If there isn’t, considering starting one.

Other websites to check for reuse groups are:

Freecycle Network (a grassroots and entirely non profit movement of people who are getting and giving stuff for free in their own towns that currently has 4,390 groups with over 5 million members)

FreeSharing.org (free recycling of unwanted items by giving them away to people who can use them instead of tossing them in a dump)

ReUseIt Network (an online forum that serves as a tool to make connections between community members who want to find new uses unwanted items that would otherwise be tossed in the trash. It also allows people who are looking for something to ask for it).

I joined and checked the postings on the reuse group in my area. Items being given away included: pet food, coupons, a gazebo, a bicycle, a lawnmower, a lawn trimmer, baby formula, live plants, and material scraps that could be used for quilt making - some good stuff for people who can use it.