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Freecycling trend catches on in Pune
For the uninitiated, freecycling involves giving away things that are of no use or are a surplus at home. These are items that are in a good and usable condition, and can find purpose in another house
Not everything in life is transactional. Some of the most uplifting experiences in life are cost-free. This is probably the sentiment fuelling the global movement of freecycling, which seems to have become the new buzzword in Pune.
For the uninitiated, freecycling involves giving away things that are of no use or are a surplus at home. These are items that are in a good and usable condition, and can find purpose in another house.
Helming the freecycling movement in the city is the husband-wife duo of Anupam Barve and Maitra. Anupam is an independent filmmaker, film educator, and associate professor of film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Maitra, an alumna of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), is a social worker, counsellor, and writer.
Speaking about what led them to start a WhatsApp group for freecycling, Anupam explained that back in 2009, he used to live in the United Kingdom, where he spent about four years. At that time, he was a part of a group dedicated to freecycling. As a student, and later as someone who had just started a teaching stint, there would be financial constraints. He stressed, “At that time, freecycling seemed like a real godsend. It also helped me embrace a more eco-conscious and minimalist way of life. The idea of freecycling is not originally mine; it is, in fact, a worldwide movement.”
For Anupam and Maitra, an additional boost to launching a freecycling forum came from the fact that for about six years, Maitra has been running an activity called ‘Jhini.’ Under its aegis, old clothes are collected from people, and are reused or repurposed depending on their useability. “The idea of freecycling is very much in tandem with Jhini’s core philosophy, and this has given us all the more reason to launch the freecycling initiative in Pune,” added the duo.
The couple has formed a WhatsApp group, titled Pune Freecycle, to facilitate free transactions of goods. The central idea is to make the fullest use of a manufactured commodity, especially something non-biodegradable or made in plastic before it ends up in landfills. Phone chargers, table lamps, books, extension cords, biking gloves, helmets, utensils, cycles, and old yet functional electronic gadgets, and so on: there’s tremendous room for freecycling.
“If you are going on a trek to the Himalayas and need a warm jacket, chances are that you wouldn’t be needing it post the trek. So why buy, when you can freecycle? It’s a more convenient, prudent and sustainable alternative,” suggests Maitra.
The operative word of the movement is “free.” It is critical that there is no financial exchange involved in freecycling, and it is a matter of ethics that the items offered are in a clean and usable state. The modus operandi for using ‘Pune Freecycle’ is very simple. People who wish to give something away, as also commodity-seekers, post on the group and inform what they wish to offer or receive. And as informed by Anupam, in most of the cases, their requirements are met in no time.
Sharing an anecdote, he added, “There was a really old and non-usable cane sofa that was lying at home. It was partly broken, and in such a bad shape that even the garbage disposal facilities had refused to accept it. I thought of taking a chance and put it up for freecycling in our group. To my surprise, within ten minutes after the post, I’d already found a taker for it. It was a girl living close-by, who was running a venture of handicrafts made from recycled cane.” Evidently, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
We are usually guilty of hoarding a range of things that we don’t use. “Typically, during festivals, or any other festival, people clean and organise their homes, and there are a bunch of workable things, which are not required. Since they’ve not gone bad, people don’t want to throw them away, but at the same time, they also don’t need them. Or sometimes, we get some home appliances as gifts, but the old ones may be perfectly functional. In such scenarios, freecycling is a great choice,” said Maitra.
What is freecycling?
*Freecycling involves giving away things that are of no use or are a surplus at home. These are items that are in a good and usable condition, and can find purpose in another house.
*It is critical that there is no financial exchange involved in freecycling, and it is a matter of ethics that the items offered are in a clean and usable state.
Pune Freecycle group
At present, ‘Pune Freecycle’ is brimming over with more than 250 members. To maintain seamless activities and for better practicality, recently, eight locality-specific communication groups (for Aundh-Baner-Pashan-Bavdhan, Kothrud-Warje-Vanaz and so forth) have been created by Anupam and Maitra (on the app—Telegram).
