2 Magazine: Freecycling 101

Reuse, recycle, reinvent!
BY: BENEDETTA LAMANNA

Freecycling: It’s budget-friendly, earth-friendly and the perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon with your sweetie. So what is it? Freecycling reuses items that you, your friends or your neighbours have labelled for the “toss” pile and breathes new life into them via some DIY pizzazz.

Michelle Mawby, an interior designer on Discovery Channel’s Junk Raiders and founder of Lucid Interior Design, says that the best part about freecycling is reusing. “It’s an opportunity to help reduce garbage—using products that still have life in them and not sending them to the landfill–and get some really unique pieces in your home,” she says.

When it comes to making those free-cycled items your own, Grace Bonney, founder of Design*Sponge, a website devoted to home and product design, recommends simple DIY projects that reflect your tastes. “Paint is always the least expensive way to update an item, so repaint pieces of old furniture for a budget-friendly change,” she says.

If you don’t already have a stash of unused goods cluttering up your basement, online communities can be a great resource for finding treasures. Listings on The Freecycle Network, a global network with members across Canada, include such fun-to-find items as a silver dresser, a dining table and glass beads. Another terrific resource is Trash Nothing!, where you can source funky local finds, from a gazebo and rocking chair to bathroom tiles.

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