What’s Freecycle?
Freecycling is the act of giving away something used or unwanted, as opposed to selling it or throwing it away. It helps people in need, and avoids dumping into our landfill.
How do I get started?
The Freecycle App is available for iOS and Android phones. You can download the app on the Apple or Google app store. Install the app on your smartphone, sign up with your favorite way to log in, and start to Freecycle!
How much does it cost?
The Freecycle App is free, no matter if you give, receive, or do both. All items on the app are free, and will always be.
How do I donate stuff?
Making a donation to the Freecycle community is easy and takes less than a minute:
- Snap one or a few photos of the item you want to give away.
- Provide a title and category that best describe your donation.
- Select a location where your item will be picked up. Note that only an approximate location is made available to the community.
- Publish your donation right away or save it for later.
What about free stuff found on the street?
Let’s assume you are out walking and you find free stuff on the street that you don’t need. Think another Freecycler could benefit from it? Simply snap a photo and share it with the community. Note: in this case, the exact location of the item must be captured and made available to the community.
How do I get free stuff?
Search and filter donations by keyword, category, and location. A list of donations matching your search will be listed. When you find an appealing item, simply request the donation. The donor gets immediately notified of your request. Next step: you and the donor arrange a pick-up time and location. The in-app chat is available for you to coordinate the pick-up.
How do I find nearby donations?
The Freecycle app leverages the technology of geolocation to find donations in your area. You can select a radius distance, locate yourself (or alternatively type an address), and the results of your search will narrow. Note that the app does not constantly track your current location. You always decide when to use the geolocation to find donations near you. Privacy matters to us!
I need more information on the donation. What do I do?
You can contact the donor with any questions, using the in-app chat. This will help you decide whether or not you’d like to request the item.
How do I know if the donation is still available?
If you find a donation in the listing, it’s still available. As soon as a Freecycler makes a request for a donation, it is removed from the listing. We recommend contacting the donor only if you have questions regarding the donation.
What are the leaves?
Leaves is the virtual currency to remind us that our consumption exceeds the capacity of nature to regenerate. In order to be sustainable, we also need to give, and take care of our environment.
How do I earn leaves?
- You earn 10 leaves when your donation is requested.
- You earn 1 leaf when you spot a donation on the street and it’s picked up by a Freecycler.
- You earn 1 leaf when you mark a requested donation as picked up.
- You earn 1 leaf when you post a story.
- You earn 1 leaf when you publish a review.
- You recover 10 leaves if you requested a donation but it was then cancelled.
How do I spend leaves?
- You spend 10 leaves for each donation request you make.
- When one of your donations is cancelled, the initial 10 earned leaves are restored.
How do I get notified?
Whenever a Freecycler makes a request, an inquiry, or simply sends you a message, you will get a push notification on your phone. You can enable/disable these notifications in the settings. You will also get notified within the app when you have any unread messages or new events (such as new requests, stories or reviews for your donations).
Another Freecycler is making inappropriate comments. What can I do?
We believe in the solidarity and honesty of the Freecycle community. However, should you ever feel uncomfortable, the app gives you the ability to block another Freecycler. This person won’t be able to communicate with you anymore. Alternatively, you can mute the push notifications for the Freecycler in question.
I found inappropriate content. What can I do?
We believe in an honest and self-managed community. The app lets you report and flag inappropriate content. Such donations are then reviewed and eventually removed from the listing. Also, we are working on improving the platform by leveraging artificial intelligence to automatically block inappropriate content. Together, we can keep the content relevant for the sake of the Freecycle community.
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