Swapping Web Sites Turn Trash Into Treasure

Aug. 25, 2009— -- One man's trash is another man's treasure and with the click of the mouse, you can both get rid of unwanted items and find your own goodies, practically free of charge.

There are all kinds of Web sites that let you trade items you no longer want or need, for something you really do need. The upside of all this trading, besides keeping you from having to buy these items full price at retail, is it keeps tons of trash out of our landfills.

Here are a few sites to get you started trading:

GardenWeb

If you have a green thumb, a garden and a low-end budget, the GardenWeb plant exchange is a great place to spend a rainy afternoon.

Peruse the listings for the exact plant you're looking for, or browse for something that might fill a shady spot. Once you find what you want, see what the person is looking to trade for and if you have it to offer, send an e-mail.

If not, sometimes people are willing to send the plants for postage.

If you've cleared out a patch of Siberian Iris or hostas from your garden but just can't bear to throw them in the compost bin, put it up for trade. You can ask for something specific in return, or let people make offers of what they have available. A quick trip to the post office with a flat-rate box makes this an easy way to spruce up your garden.

Other sites:1. Introduction to Plant Swaps2. Trade a Plant

Freecycle

Forget about bulk trash day, someone on Freecycle will want what you're getting rid of.

The non-profit Freecycle Network was founded in 2003 to promote waste reduction in Tucson, Arizona, and help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. Today it's made up of 4,775 groups with 7,059,000 members across the globe.

Cycle of Giving Keeps Items Out of Landfills

The idea is to sustain a free cycle of giving which keeps the stuff out of landfills. You join a local community, for free, and start posting stuff you want to get rid of. The only rules are everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

Most people post items like computer equipment, electrical appliances, leftover building supplies, furniture and other household goods. You can also look for items you need, just ask for it. You never know!

Other sites:1. Swap at Home

Electronics

If you're really hankering for that new iPod Touch but can't justify it since your old iPod still works perfectly fine, saunter over to Gazelle. They'll give you cash for your unwanted gadgets.

Once you enter the model, condition and other info about the device, the site makes you an offer online and sends out a box with prepaid shipping included for mailing. If they think they can't resell it, they'll offer to take it from you and properly recycle it.

They deal mostly in cell phones, mp3 players, laptops or other gadgets that are likely to wind up in either a kitchen drawer or a landfill. This is a great concept, since it's estimated that 4.6 million tons of electronic waste winds up in landfills, with TV's making up more than half of the e-waste, according to the EPA.

Book Swapping

No room in the house to save all those books you've finished? And you really want to read the next James Patterson book? Swap your books online. If you don't mind reading a book that's not crisp and pristine, join a book-swapping site like Paperbackswap or Swap Tree.

Most of these sites are free to join and can save you lots of money. You trade your old books for new ones and depending on the rules of the particular site, pay only postage.