Popular Questions

  • How do I change which posts I see?

    You can change which posts you see by updating your post options on the Settings page. To get the most control, you should enable the option labelled "Only show posts that are near me" and then set the distance to match the local area you want.

  • How does feedback work?

    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.

  • What are the rules and guidelines?

    Only posts that are giving away or requesting free, legal and family-friendly items are allowed. Members are expected to always be respectful and polite when posting and communicating with other members.

    In more detail, the following are not allowed in posts or in messages to other members:

    • No buying, selling, trading, bartering or requesting money
    • No alcohol, tobacco, weapons or prescription drugs
    • No services or jobs
    • No promotions or advertising
    • No real estate, rentals or housing
    • No coupons or vouchers
    • No spamming

    Anyone who plans to 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.

    Certain rules can vary from group to group depending on the volunteer moderators who run each group.

    For example, most groups don't allow posting animals or pets and don't allow requests to borrow items but some groups do.

    And rules on how often posts can be reposted vary from group to group. With most groups, you can repost Offers after a few days and Requests after a couple weeks.

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

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

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

  • What is the Fair Offer Policy?

    The Fair Offer Policy is an optional policy that people can use when they post Offers. If someone chooses to use the Fair Offer Policy, it means that they have agreed to wait a period of time before choosing who to give their item(s) to. This gives people who receive the digest emails, or those who are online less frequently, a fair chance to reply to the offer.

    "A period of time" is usually just one day though some groups ask their members to wait two or three days when using the Fair Offer Policy.

    Note: The Fair Offer Policy does not mean that someone is offering an item for sale. Buying and selling is not allowed on freecycling groups.

  • What's the difference between freecycling and trash nothing?

    Freecycling is the act of giving away items for free to people who can use them. And the trash nothing app makes it easy for people to freecycle anywhere in the world.

    Since freecycling began two decades ago on Yahoo Groups, it has spread to many new sites, groups and apps. Currently trash nothing supports many of the original freecycling groups from Yahoo Groups, Freegle groups, and groups powered by trash nothing. We're open to adding support for new groups and sites when possible but sadly many of the other sites don't have the features necessary for trash nothing to access their groups.


Browse By Topic

About

  • 11 questions  View All
  • How do I donate money?

    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.

  • How do I invite people to trash nothing?

    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.

  • How do I volunteer?

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

  • Is reselling allowed?

    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.

  • Is there a mobile app?

    Yes, there is a web app that should work on all mobile devices. There is also an Android app and an iOS app for iPhones, iPads and iPods.

    The web app is updated more frequently than the other apps and some people find that the web app works better than the native app (plus, you can bookmark the web app to your home screen to make it work more like a native app).

Account


Emails

Groups

  • 8 questions  View All
  • How do I add a group to my account?
    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.

  • How do I contact the moderators?

    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.

  • How do I report a message or conversation?
    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"
  • How do I report a post?

    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.

  • How do I start a new group?

    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.


Photos

  • 2 questions  View All
  • How do I post a photo?

    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.

  • Where are the post 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.

Pickup

  • 3 questions  View All
  • How and where should I arrange pickup of an item?

    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.

  • How do I handle no-shows?

    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.

  • How do items change hands - are they picked up or delivered?

    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.


Posting

  • 22 questions  View All
  • Can I buy, sell, trade, swap or barter?

    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.

  • Can animals and pets be posted?

    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.

  • How do I edit my post?

    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.

  • How do I mark my Offer as gifted?

    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.

  • How do I mark my Offer as promised?

    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.

Replying

  • 13 questions  View All
  • How can I tell if someone has seen my message?

    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.

  • How do I block someone?

    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.

  • How do I choose who to give my offer to?

    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.

  • How do I delete messages?

    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).

  • How do I reply to a post that I'm interested in?

    If you're on the site, in the app or reading a digest email, simply click on the post title to view the full details of the post. Once you are viewing the full post, click the large green button labelled "Reply" that shows up below the post description (on mobile devices) or to the right of the post description (on laptops and desktop computers)*.

    If you don't see a Reply button, then there should be text in the area where the reply button usually is explaining why (you may need to login or join the group the post is from or the post may no longer be active).

    Keep in mind that the person offering the item may hear from multiple people who want it, so you might not always get the item.

    If the offerer picks you, you and the offerer will arrange a time and place for you to pickup the item. Usually, you pickup the item at or near the offerer's home.

    *The reply button only shows up when you view other peoples posts and not when you view your own posts. Other people viewing your post will see a reply button and be able to reply.