Freecycling - do you know what it is?

Freecycling is something I've been doing for a while.  Not as a total lifestyle or anything like that.  Just on the side here and there.  It's free - which is always good. It's a creative thing.  And it also happens to be good for the environment.

So what is it?  It's taking something old and turning it into something new.  For example - using the bits of wood left over from construction for craft projects. 

Here's a few examples of some Freecycling I've done:
-Turned an old water rain-water barrel into a composter
-Using the carper underlay (the thick grey foam kind) ripped out of a house as uphostering material for a variety of projects.  Usually double it up to get more thickness.
-Collected wood from the junk wood pile at the dump for use in various projects - you wouldn't believe what people throw out!!!
-Used the arms from a broken treadmill as bars on a sheep feeder.
- Used cloth from old shirts, pants, jackets etc for various projects like making bags and things
-Used bicycle inner-tubes (available for free at any bike shp) can be cut into strips and used for a variety of projects such as tying things down, handle wraps on various tools, and I used them for the weighted ends of the rhythm sticks I used to make and sell. I also sewed them into little rubber change purses.
-Construction materials - wood salvaged from various projects cleaned up by removing nails etc and then re-used for other projects.  I made a few dog kennels with this, some walls in my home, etc.

The possibilities are endless!

There are a couple of cable shows that feature Freecycling.  The Junk Brothers - on Discovery (or was it TLC?) was good before their budget got too big.  They would take items of furniture people had put out on the curb for trash pick-up, re-work them into something new, and return them to the original owners.  At first it was really great what they would do.  Just by taking it apart, putting it back together in a different way, maybe adding a couple things, and giving it new paint etc they would turn old items into new custom build furniture.  But as the show became somewhat sucessful and their budget got bigger the projects became more new and expensive components with only a bit of the old item worked in and the freecycling spirit was left by the way-side.

A show currently running on TLC called Junk raiders pairs up a couple of professional freecyclers with a bunch of professional wasters (people in the regular construction industry used to throwing out a lot of stuff.)  In an attempt to re-do an old Toronto loft into a trendy live-work space with a budget of just $5,000 and a strict deadline for a client who is a tight wad businessman.  Personally, I'd rather see a show about how the freecyclers normally work - which involves stockpiling items over time.  Instead this show is a recipe for conflict and is so full of arguing and stress that it's difficult to watch.  Still, they've managed to accomplish some pretty cool things with freecycling despite everything.

So, next time you think of throwing something away.  Try giving it away to a freecycler instead.  Next time you want t make something, think of using freecycled materials.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.