FREECYCLE
Every business produces a certain amount of clean, usable
waste. As a responsible, community minded business owneryou should be aware of a local conservation effort calledFreecycle.Freecycle focuses on recycling items that would normally end upin landfills, for lack of space, or other reasons having nothing todo with the usefulness of the item. Including the kitchen sink,everything from crayons to clothes, from appliances toautomobiles, is exchanged here. Anything, legally speaking ofcourse, is welcome.The group's sole way of communication between members isthrough a series of messages on an Internet bulletin board. Allposts look like emails with a subject line and then a body to themessage. These messages can be posted directly on the boardor sent via email. It's very easy for you to join and use thesegroups. It's free and takes only minutes…really.Whatever clean waste your particular business creates, someoneelse could probably use it. The best advantage for you is, asyou use the Freecycle Network, you'll become known to thegrowing local online community as the company that cares. Another advantage not to be underrated is the increase, howeverslight, of traffic at your storefront. Even 2 extra cars a weekwould be to your benefit.Of course, the biggest advantage is to thecommunity by making less stress on thelandfill that's literally right down the streetfrom us.Use the following instructions and sign up. Membership is free,and you'll find lots of your neighbors already 'freecycling'. Themembership totals for groups in Englewood-Rotonda, Venice,North Port and Port Charlotte combined is approx 5000. Start by going to Yahoo.com. If you don't already have a freeYahoo ID, get one. Simply click the "Sign Up" Button andfollow directions to get your free email address. That addressand password will be your ticket to all the free services thatYahoo has to offer, including Freecycle. If you are a business owner, I suggest creating a Yahoo namefrom your business name. This way, you'll get "credit" forgiving all those wonderful things as away. If your business namehas been taken, it's easy to stand out by adding your town at theend of your business name. For instance my Yahoo ID isBlindsblindsenglewood. You can use this as the email box foryour group messages, or have the messages go to your regularemail address. Either way, you'll only get the amount of emailyou want, by choosing individual, daily or weekly notices, whenyou sign up.Now, go to FREECYCLE.ORG and type in your zip code for agroup search. The results will be a list of groups in your area.JOIN THE GROUP CLOSEST TO YOU, and any others thatyou feel are not too far away to drive to. Keep in mind these areall conservation minded people and they discourage driving toofar to pick stuff up. Some groups even make you tell them yourzip code before they approve your membership. Ozone layer,and all,……Once you are in, and your membership approved, look down thelist of messages and you will see that each post starts with eitherOFFER, TAKEN, WANTED, or FOUND. Here's brief description of each type of post and what thesubject line of that post would look like if I posted thatmessage.OFFER – Cardboard Boxes – Corner of 776 & Spinnaker Of course, use this when you have something togive away, these posts are supposed to come withthe closest major crossroads, and/or the city youare in. So, if you've chosen your business name asyour Yahoo ID, EVERY POST you make will haveyour business name and location in it. The body ofthe message goes on to explain exactly what youare offering. TAKEN – Cardboard BoxesThis is used when someone comes and picks upwhat you had offered. This lets all the other usersknow that the item is gone. WANTED – Working Cash Register – EnglewoodIt might seem like a wish list, people are sogenerous sometimes, especially here where we live,but people who try to abuse the group are usuallycollectively, and sometimes not silently shunned.Wanted Posts are useful not only to the peoplewho need and hope to get something, but also tothe general reader, who as they peruse through themessages, might be reminded of unused items theyhave, that someone else could use.FOUND – Working Cash Register – Thanks so much!When you get what you need, a nice post isappreciated and encourages all the rest of us tokeep giving and using Freecycle.Try to offer something at least once a week, to keep your postsfresh, and on top of the lists. If you do, between the "Offers"and the "Takens", your business name will be in front of peopleAT LEAST 8 times a month.Go to FREECYCLE.ORG and sign up today!
Call 941 460-0200 for more details!
