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Local woman starts free
sharing recycling group

by CHRIS GRAY
Observer Staff Writer

      Help save a tree, or perhaps a used TV.
       We've all faced it one time or another: Owning a useful but used item that none of your neighbors or friends want and you're forced to toss it to the curb or store it in the garage.
       To help locals save space in their homes and in landfills, Armada resident Kathryn Lucas has started a free, electronic way to reuse and recycle.
       Lucas has started a group on the Internet using Yahoo! Groups called the Romeo Michigan Area Free Share, an independent grassroots free recycling group that serves Romeo, Armada, Bruce, Washington and Almont.
       The premise is simple: If you're a part of the group, you send Lucas an e-mail describing an item or items you don't want anymore. Other members can review the offered item and, if interested, they come pick it up.
       Members can also post desired items. For instance, someone may desire a roll of carpet to finish a section of their basement. A member can then direct them to their home or to a friend's home.
       "With the economy, everyone is concerned with what they can do with their stuff or for being greener," she said. "Burying it in the ground is not a solution, and if someone can use it, why send it to a landfill?"
       She first heard of the free-sharing concept a year ago when someone looking for used books forwarded an e-mail to her. After utilizing a free-sharing group to give away her books, she read up on it.
       "It's just one of those great ideas someone came up with," she said. "But it wouldn't have worked years ago when e-mail wasn't as prevalent."
       Lucas was inspired to start a local group when she used a similar group that serves the southern portion of Macomb County. When she would inform them of where she lived so they could retrieve an item, they would say they didn't want to drive that far.
       "I figured everyone out here pays for trash pick-up, so we shouldn't be burdened with additional pick-up and landfills when we could set up a group for ourselves," she said.
       The group has around 15 members, but Lucas is hoping the word will get out.
       "You never know what people are looking for or what they need," she said. "I think it's becoming more popular, especially when driving around from garage sale to garage sale is $4 a gallon."
       She said the most popular way for people to pick up items are to leave the desired objects on the front porch. This way someone can pick up an item without worrying about being home.
       She also emphasized how senior citizens could use the service to have big, heavy items removed from their homes, such as old freezers.
       "Otherwise, it'd be an expense to have someone come in and move it," she said.
       To join, visit http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/romeomiareafreeshare (no dashes) and click the "join" button. Membership is free, and only requires an e-mail address.
       The Web site is a part of the Free Sharing Network, found at http://freesharing.org. Established in Feb. 8, 2005, the site serves as a central directory for over 825 groups, with only a few rules to follow.
       Items that are offered must be free, legal (meaning they can't be drugs, weapons, needles, etc.) and appropriate for all ages.