Anne Marie Battis used Full Circles Ottawa to find bowls that she used as the base for her mosaic art.
A local website is encouraging Centretown residents to give unwanted items to others in the community instead of putting them in the trash.
Full Circles Ottawa is a volunteer- driven community organization helping connect people looking to get rid of their old things with people who can use them.
“It’s basically a method of giving away your surplus stuff, which I suppose everybody has these days,” says Eric Snyder, who created Full Circles Ottawa.
The organization does not earn any money and it's only funding comes from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
The process is known as “freecycling,” and is a growing trend. There more than 9,500 Full Circles users in the city according to a February 2010 report by the organization.
Centretown Resident Anne-Marie Battis is one of those users. “I like the philosophy of exchanging goods and not throwing things away needlessly,” says the Somerset Street homeowner. “It feels good to give something to somebody who needs it and to get something for free, so there’s really no downside to it.”
Freecycling worldwide saves hundreds of tonnes of garbage from going to the landfill each day, according to Full Circles.
Most of the goods being offered on the Centretown message board are used household items that owners no longer have the space to keep in their homes.
Parents of young children also take advantage of Full Circles.
“I think the biggest success stories are for people with little kids because little kids outgrow stuff and they get tired of toys,” Snyder says.
Battis, a mosaic artist, says she used Full Circles to find supplies for her artwork.
Centretown is an ideal area for “freecycling” because it’s easy for most people in the city to get to.
Full Circles can be visited at ottawa.fullcircles.org.