Ben Preiss
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 The Freecycle Network I think most of us have thrown stuff out stuff that we knew somebody else could have put to good use. The Freecycle Network of is made of thousands of groups worldwide that help used goods find new owners and stay out of landfills, a double bonus. Freecycle is enjoying viral growth as the word spreads about the helping hands that the network offers to people with limited means and overstretched budgets. Right after Christmas, companies like these are sure to be busy!
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Reselling Christmas - eBay Flooded With Unwanted Gifts (GALLERY)
When Laura Gernell heard about a place where people gave away perfectly good things to strangers — no money changing hands, no questions asked — she figured it was too good to be true. With nothing to lose, she joined The Freecycle Network, a Web-based community swap program, and asked if anyone had a sofa to spare.
"I wasn't looking to furnish my whole apartment," says the 32-year-old mom from Marmet, just south of Charleston. "I was just looking for the basics, just something to sit on."
Three people e-mailed with offers, and Gernell used the sofa from that day in 2004 until last summer, when the springs broke. Today she runs West Virginia's largest Freecycle group, 2,100 members strong and part of a far-flung forum where people can find homes for things they no longer want.
Freecycle is a global recycling phenomenon. Since it started in Arizona in May 2003, it has grown to more than 4 million members in more than 4,100 cities, from Istanbul to Inwood. It boasts of keeping more than 300 million tons of trash out of landfills every day and has inspired imitators.
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