TrashNothing: Reduces Freecycle Email Clutter Without Losing the Deal

I absolutely love Freecycle, which is an online community where people can giveaway their once loved possession to someone who can use them.  But what I don’t love about my online community is the barrage of emails that I get from everyone’s posts. Your email box could be flooded in just a day (or maybe a few hours.) This lead me to turn off my email notification and I have missed out on some fabulous finds.

Andrew Trusty, founder of TrashNothing, felt the same way as I did about Freecycle.  Love the concept but hated the emails.  So, this computer science professional decided to create “a little code” to solve the problem.  (I am insanely jealous of his talent.)

This ingenuous site removes the email clutter for not only Freecycle but also Freegle, ReUseIt Network and FullCircles.  Still not sure what is Freecycle all about? TrashNothing provides a little tutorial on how to give away items you no longer want.

So, How Does TrashNothing Reduce the Freecycle Email Clutter?

This program could make anyone a happy camper.  You get your own email box on the site and as your emails come in, they are colored coded to tell you offers, wants, takes, and receives.  You can filter out which type of email that you want to receive in addition to setting up alerts for a special items you are looking for.

Really into the Freecylish groups?  The beauty of TrashNothing is that you can manage more than one group in your inbox.  Best yet, you can access your TrashNothing inbox through mobile devices.  See here for more TrashNothing features. Trusty is one detailed guy.

Not a part of one of the Freecyclish groups?  No problem. The website helps you find the groups in your area.

Makes Posting Easier

One of the problems that I encountered with Freecycle is that I don’t post correctly.  I get lazy, forget, or whatever. If you mess up, a moderator usually contacts you and deletes your post. (Yep.  It’s happened to me.)

TrashNothing makes it so much easier to post since it provides the right words for you to use such as “offer” or “want.”

In fact, moderators can run their groups through the website to make their job easier. I don’t envy the group moderators. Can you imagine how many posts they have to wade through to see who is not following the rules?  Or spamming.  G-d bless them.   See the Moderator FAQS, if you are interested in running your group through the TrashNothing site.

Have Clutter?

You know I am a fan of getting rid of the clutter and have touted using Freecycle many time to keep your house clutter-free.  Spring is right around the corner.  Get a jump on clearing out those once loved possessions and give them to someone who needs them.  In the past, I have given away fabric and a couch cover.  If felt good to give it to someone who could use them instead of collecting dust in a corner.

Do You Need Some Toys, Furniture, or Art Materials?

You would be surprised what you can obtain through Freecycle.  So, why buy if you can get if for free?  There are lamps, furniture, toys, so on and on.  You never know.  The fact that you can create an alert on TrashNothing for something you are looking for is brilliant because the good stuff goes quick!  (Been there.)

So, follow Trusty’s lead and make trash nothing your new mantra!  And Don’t forget to read my Organize Clutter with these Foolproof Strategies.

Join the Conversation

• Have you used “Freecyclish” site?  If so, what did you give away?
• How do you deal with all the emails from Freecycle?
• Found any items through Freecycle?
• Thoughts about TrashNothing?  Any other functionality would you like to add?

Similar Posts:

• Freecyle, a Site for Trash to Treasure
• Swap Mamas: A Mama’s Very Own Swapping, Socializing Site
• Pingg Paperless Invitations: Even Your NonGreen Critics Will Love
• How to Get Rid of Old Electronics: Donate, Sell, or Recycle
• Organize Clutter With These Foolproof Strategies