Throwing things out is far to easy. You put them in your bin and the garbage man makes them disappear. Far too many things we discard because we no longer have a use for them still have plenty of life in them and can be used by others less fortunate than ourselves.

A number of online services make the process of giving things away just as easy as throwing them out.

	Freecycle It looks like something from the early days of the Internet but don’t be fooled. Freecycle is a very active community that works very effectively with over 8 million members worldwide. The Trash Nothing smart phone app for Apple and Andriod provides a nicer interface that you can use directly from your phone. I’ve used Freecycle to give away everything from sandstone rocks, old computers, a timber boat, dvds, random linen, university text books and so forth. Most items are claimed within a day of posting, I leave them at my front door and they’re promptly and reliably collected. For the most part I’ve not met the people that accept the items. The interaction is overwhelmingly positive, much less hassle than selling low value items via eBay and I regularly sense that the items are going to a good and needy home.
	Gumtree Freebies List items for free to give away.
	Salvos Stores Operate over 200 stores around Australia Can pickup bulky items
	Vinnies Shops Operate over 650 shops around Australia Can pickup furniture items Don’t accept electrical goods
	GIVE NOW Maintain a comprehensive listing of places Australia wide that you can give things to for re-use.
	GIVIT An online marketplace that connects the public with over 900 charities around Australia. You can list items to donate and see the items that charities need. Once a match is made the delivery / pickup of items arranged with the relevant charity.
	REcycling Near You Another comprehensive listing of recycling and re-use centres around Australia.
	Zilch A free online market place for giving things away.