I think some of the Freecycle groups are probably much more active than others. The group in this area is off to a great start and I'm seeing all kinds of things being exchanged. However, I don't imagine that would be the case everywhere.
As for putting things out at the road with "Free" signs, that's a great idea and people out around where I live do that quite often -- especially big stuff like stoves, washing machines, etc.. In fact, along with the Free sign, there is often a note telling what is wrong with the stove, etc.. such as "Oven works, but 2 burners not working".
I was just thinking that "FreeCycle" is just an internet variation on what our local dump used to be. Until just a few years ago, the dump was managed by our township and everyone had to bring their own garbage to the dump on Saturdays when it was open. It was always busy there, with people coming and going. Some people would stand around chatting after moving their vehicles off to one side after unloading. When you went to the dump, you often came home with just as much stuff as you took. It was a lot of fun. Sometimes you would see someone in the process of tossing something off and you'd call out "Hey! I'll take that!!". Also was a great place to go to get spare parts for lawnmowers and appliances. Often, you'd be able to go down and get exactly what you needed by perusing through the appliance heap. It was really neat. However, we've gone to a whole different system now that our township is part of a larger city. Now we have curbside trash pick-up and the dump isn't open to the public. It's really a shame as the old system seemed to work -- AND, maybe more importantly -- seeing the garbage piling up in the dump really made an impression on all of us as our township had to manage the dumpsite and couldn't expand any further. I think it helped for us to see just how much waste a township produces from week to week.
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