Help & Support

The goal of the events page is to promote local events that align with the goals of Trash Nothing. Some examples include repair cafés, free markets and clothing swaps. If you're part of an organization that runs events that might fall under one of the 8 R's below, contact us and send us some information about your organization and your events (with a link to your organization or event listings if possible) and we'll see if they are a good fit for the Trash Nothing community.

The 8 R's below provide a rough guide for the types of events we're excited about:

1. Rethinking choices
2. Refusing single use / waste
3. Reducing consumption
4. Reusing everything
5. Refurbishing old items
6. Repairing instead of replacing
7. Repurposing
8. Recycling

If you'd like to help keep trash nothing running smoothly and support the ongoing development of the site, you can make a contribution. And if you contribute, you won't see commercial advertisements.

Simply tell them to visit trashnothing.com to sign up (or install the trash nothing app from the app store).

Telling your friends, family and co-workers about trash nothing is the best way to help your local community grow and help keep more stuff out of the landfills.

Giving 5 star ratings on Google Play and Apple App Store is also a great way to help more people find trash nothing.

If you have a bit more time, you can post flyers or reach out to local organizations and ask them to help spread the word. Find out more ways you can help (and get a copy the flyer) on the Volunteer page.

You can learn about different volunteer opportunities on the volunteer page.

Resellers are members who receive free items and then sell them outside of trash nothing. Buying and selling on trash nothing is not allowed but reselling free items is a valid way to reuse items and keep them out of the landfill as long as resellers follow the rule below.

People who resell items must say in their posts and messages that they plan to resell items they receive. This gives the people giving away items the chance to decide whether they want their item to be resold or not.

If you have a question about your local groups' rules, please contact the moderators.

If a post is breaking this rule, please report the post.

If another member has broken this rule, please report the member.

When you view a post on the site or in the apps, there is a button labelled "Bookmark" that shows up below every post that you can click to bookmark the post.

Once you bookmark a post, the post will be visible on the bookmarks page.

There are different answers depending on which location you are referring to.

The location of posts you see on the main posts page is based on the groups you are a member of and your post settings. You can add and remove groups on the Groups page at any time. And you can change your post settings using the post options on the Settings page.

If you're trying to change the location that shows up on your posts (either the location text or the map), you can edit your posts to change the location of the post. And when you submit new posts, make sure to check that the Location field on the New Post page has the correct location.

If you're logged in, you can change your password on the Settings page.

If you are unable to login, see how to reset your password

You can change your profile picture on the Settings page.

The layout options for the main posts page are on the main posts page at: https://trashnothing.com

If you're on a mobile device:

1. Click the Options button near the top of the page
2. In the "Layout" section, click the layout you want to use
3. Click the "Save" button at the bottom

If you're on a larger screen device, the layout option are 4 icons near the top right of the main posts page and you can click any one of the icons to change the layout.

There isn't an option to get every post sent by email but there are a few alternatives:

1. You can get notified about every post by enabling push notifications in the Notifications section of the Settings page. Please note that push notifications only work in compatible browsers, the iOS app or the Android app.

2. You can change how frequently you receive the digest emails so that you are notified more often about new posts.

3. You can setup email alerts to get notified about specific posts.

You can view and change your email address on the Settings page.

When you change your email address, a verification email will be sent to your new email address. You will have to click a link in the verification email before your email address will be changed. Please make sure to check your spam or junk mail folder for the verification email if you don't see the email within a couple minutes.

If you are unable to login and change your email on the Settings page, please contact us so that we can change your email address for you.

You can change how often you receive the digest emails in the Notifications > Posts > New Posts section of the Settings page.

You should be able to reply to emails from other members like any other email.

Alternatively, you can use the messages page to view and reply to messages from other members.

You can turn digest emails off using the Notifications section of the Settings page.

You can leave feedback (or change the feedback) on another person by following the directions below:

1. Go to the messages page and open the conversation with the person you want to leave feedback on. If the conversation was archived or blocked, you will find it in your archived conversations or your blocked conversations.

2. Open the menu at the top right of the conversation by clicking the icon with 3 vertical dots that is to the right of the persons' profile image and name.

3. Click "Leave Feedback"

You can remove feedback you've left on another person by following the directions below:

1. Go to the messages page and open the conversation with the person you want to leave feedback on.

2. Open the menu at the top right of the conversation by clicking the icon with 3 vertical dots that is to the right of the persons' profile image and name.

3. Click the "Leave Feedback" option

4. Click the button labelled "remove the feedback".

If a member has a feedback rating, it will show up next to their profile photo on the post view page and next to their profile photo when you view a message or conversation with them.

If a member doesn't have a feedback rating, nothing will be shown in the spot where feedback ratings usually show up.

If you've left feedback on someone, you can see your feedback comments next to their feedback rating on the post view page or by clicking on their name or photo on the messages page. The feedback comments that other people have left are not currently shown to anyone except the person who left them.

To learn what the feedback rating numbers mean, read how the feedback works.

The feedback information you see on other members has two main parts - a feedback score and a positive feedback percentage. If you've used eBay before, then you'll probably be familiar with how these work.

The feedback score is a number shown inside a colored box with an arrow next to it. The arrows and the coloring are just a quick visual indicator of whether someone's feedback is good (blue with an up arrow) or bad (red with a down arrow)*. The feedback score is the count of all positive feedback a member has received minus the count of all negative feedback a member has received. A positive score means that a member has received more positive feedback than negative feedback. And a negative feedback score means that a member has received more negative feedback. So higher scores are better.

The positive feedback percentage shows what percent of the feedback a member has received in the last year was positive. This gives a better understanding of the data that makes up the feedback score and provides a good summary of the more recent feedback a member has received. If a member hasn't received any feedback in the last year, then no positive feedback percentage will be shown.

The feedback system was only launched in 2020 so there are many members (both long time and new members) who won't have any feedback shown.

*In more detail, the red box with a down arrow shows up when someone has a feedback score that is less than zero. Otherwise the box will be blue and have an up arrow.

When you leave feedback, it is anonymous and the other member won't receive any notification that they have new feedback.

1. Go to the Groups page and click the button labelled "Add Group".
2. The Add Groups page should then show a list of groups in your location. If you need to change the location, just click the location name near the top of the page to change it.
3. For each group you want to add, click the green button to the right of the group name that is labelled with a plus symbol.

Once you add a group, a subscription request is automatically sent to the group. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days for your request to be approved (but we'll automatically email you once you are approved). The reason for the delay is that some group moderators choose to moderate membership requests in order to prevent spammers and non-local people from joining.

Each group is run by one or more volunteer moderators who set the rules for the group and manage the group members and group posts. You can use the Moderator contact page to get in touch with the moderators who run your local groups.

If you're reporting some one to the moderators, you may also want to leave feedback on the person.

1. Go to the messages page and view the conversation.
2. Open the options menu by clicking the three vertical dots icon near the top right of the conversation.
3. Click "Report"

When you view a post on the site or in the apps, there is a button labelled "Report" that shows up below every post that you can click to report the post to the volunteer moderators.

It only takes a minute to start a new group in your area. Just fill out and submit the new group form to create a new group.

The New Post page has a button labelled "Add Photos" that you can click to add photos when you are submitting new posts.

If you have problems adding a photo using the New post page, most groups allow links to photos in the details section of your post. So you can use a site like Flickr, Dropbox or Google Photos to upload your photos and then just include a link to those photos in your post details.

If your trying to add photos to an existing post, you can edit your post to add photos to it.

This can happen on Apple iOS devices if you accidentally limited Trash Nothing to only access a few photos instead of allowing access to all photos. Limiting apps access to specific photos is a privacy option that Apple provides but it does limit functionality.

If you are using the Trash Nothing iOS app from the app store, you'll need to use the iOS Settings app to change the photo permissions that the Trash Nothing app has. Another way to reset the photo permissions is to uninstall and reinstall the iOS app.

If you are using the Trash Nothing website, you'll need to change the browser permissions that the Trash Nothing website has in the settings of the browser you are using.

The plus sign with a number that you sometimes see at the top right of a post photo on the main listings page shows you how many other photos there are for the post.

For example, if you see "+2" that means that there are 2 other photos that aren't being shown. If you click on the post to view the post in detail, you will be able to see all the photos.

Photos should always be linked to or shown with the post when you view a post on the site or in the app.

If a post mentions photos but none are visible and there is no link, the poster may have forgotten to attach the photos. In these cases, it's usually easiest to reply to the post and ask the poster to send you the photos.

If you are the one giving away items, it's up to you to decide when and where the pickup should take place. Often people will leave the items on their doorstep or arrange a meeting in a public place. You should arrange a time and place that works for you and the person you've chosen to come pickup the item.

If you're offering an item and someone misses the arranged pickup, it's up to you how to handle it. Most people give the person a 2nd chance within a day or two before offering the item to the next person in line. You can also leave feedback on the person.

It's always a good idea to collect a few replies to your offer before marking your offer as gifted. This makes it easier to give away your item without having to repost.

Because items are being given away, it's expected that the person chosen to receive the item will travel and pickup the item. The pickup is done at a time and place that is arranged with the person offering the item.

Everything posted must be free with no strings attached so buying, selling, trading, swapping and bartering aren't allowed. It's also against the rules to reply to other members' posts to try to buy, sell, trade, swap or barter with them. So please don't attempt to do this or you'll likely be removed or banned.

There are many other sites and apps that allow you to buy, sell, trade and barter. You might try Ebay, Craigslist in the US, Gumtree in the UK, Kijiji in Canada.

The rules regarding animals are set by the volunteer moderators who run each group and so the rules can often vary from group to group. Some groups do allow animals to be posted and other groups do not. You can contact the moderators of your local groups to ask whether or not animals are allowed.

To edit your post, go to the Your Posts page and click on the post that you would like to edit. Then click the option labelled "Edit".

The edit option will only show up for active posts. If your post is no longer active, then you can repost and you will be able to edit your post before it is reposted.

Once your item has been given away, go to the Your Posts page and click on the Offer post that contains the item(s) that you want to mark as gifted. Then click the option labelled "Mark as gifted". This will remove your Offer post from the group listings.

Once you have promised your item to someone, go to the Your Posts page and click on the Offer post that contains the item(s) that you want to mark as promised. Then click the option labelled "Mark as promised". This will help other people know that your Offer has been promised.

All messages you send in reply to posts and to other people using the messages page are private.

You can also reply to the messages you receive by email and your replies are only sent to the other person.

There is no way to tell if someone has seen or read your messages.

You can tell if your message has been sent successfully by looking for the checkmark that shows up on your message on the messages page. But there is no way to track if or when someone sees your message because many people only read and respond to messages by email and there is no way to know when someone opens or reads an email.

You may also want to read the help page about not getting responses.

To block someone, use the messages page to find the conversation from the person you're trying to block. Once you are viewing the conversation, click on the options menu near the top right of the conversation and select "Block" (the options menu uses an icon showing 3 vertical dots).

Once you block someone, you will no longer receive messages or emails from them.

It's completely up to you! Some people choose the first person to respond but we usually recommend choosing someone who communicates clearly and makes it easy to schedule the pickup.

When you're choosing, you might want to keep some of the no-show prevention tips in mind to help you choose someone who is more likely to show up.

To delete messages, use the messages page to find the conversation you want to delete and then click on that conversation to view it and the messages in the conversation. Once you are viewing the conversation, click on the options menu near the top right of the conversation and select "Delete" (the options menu uses an icon showing 3 vertical dots).