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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Too good to toss? To find out about Snohomish County's reusable materials exchange, click here to go to the site.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, April 18, 2008 Online garage sale site aims to reduce waste By Julie Muhlstein Herald Columnist Dick Frazier is all for recycling, but he has higher hopes for the hood of a 1956 Buick Special. Surely, someone could actually use it. "At the landfill, they take metal," the 69-year-old Edmonds man said. "It's something I may have to recycle, but I hated to do that." For awhile, he'll keep the old hood with the faded paint. He'll await a willing taker. Frazier has had it about five years, since buying the '56 Buick Special two-door sedan he's now restoring. The classic car -- he calls it a work in progress -- came with the spare hood. I found Frazier, or at least his e-mail address, at www.2good2toss.com, an online exchange site for used items. Sponsored by Snohomish County, other local governments and the state Department of Ecology, it's been operating since 2004. It's new to me. A yellow card that came with my latest Rubatino Refuse Removal garbage bill was the first I'd heard of the Web site. "Think of it as an online garage sale," says the card, which lists rules for posting items: no illegal or hazardous materials, no retail products or listings for services, and nothing priced more than $99. Simple enough, and it's free. Around the state, 13 counties, in tandem with cities, are involved in 2good2toss. The site here is managed by Jon Yeckley, a senior planner in the solid waste management division of Snohomish County's Public Works Department. The Web sites were created by iWasteNot Systems Inc., a company that used Washington state as a pilot program. There are now nearly 100 similar sites, Yeckley said, including a manure exchange in Pennsylvania. Yeckley, 58, aims to raise awareness of the county site through advertising and the enclosure mailed to about 19,000 Rubatino customers. "Once we get enough people visiting the site and listing things, it kind of builds itself," he said. Listed are free items, things for sale, and all sorts of stuff people want to find. On Thursday, folks were looking for a guitar case, a working microwave oven and locking wall stones. It's also a one-stop site listing charities and businesses that take used items. There's a section, too, called "Recyclopedia." It tells what to do with everything from old batteries to greeting cards, paints and toner cartridges. About a third of the listings are for free things, said Yeckley, adding "I got a futon mattress for free." With people upgrading to high-definition and flat-screen TV sets, he's seeing lots of televisions. Recently, a 27-inch Sony, just five years old, was listed for free. "It was taken the day it went up," he said. The benefits of reusing things go way beyond saving landfill space, said Shannon McClelland, a waste reduction and recycling specialist with the state Department of Ecology. "It's also the energy embodied in all these products, the environmental impact to create an object and sell it," McClelland said. "No one wants to hear the message of 'Don't buy stuff,' so we're moving into buying green stuff. The greenest choice you can make is not to buy in the first place, or to buy used. It's catching on." The 2good2toss sites evolved from an earlier effort, the Reusable Building Materials Exchange. "It wasn't doing very well, so local partners and counties got together to figure out how to improve it," McClelland said. The addition of household items -- bikes, lawn mowers, furniture, toys, the stuff that often ends up at the dump -- boosted interest. Before working for the state, McClelland 32, was administrator of a 2good2toss site for the city of Shelton. She screened out unsuitable items, mostly pets and things priced over $99. "It's intended for people to keep things they'd otherwise throw into a landfill," she said. Some communities have raised the limit to $199. The site explains how to post and reply. A user wanting to post items must set up a free account, but that's not needed to browse or reply. McClelland keeps safety in mind. She uses her e-mail address, but not her phone number. "I don't have them come to my house, I find a public place to meet. I do this all the time," said McClelland, who's hoping to get rid of a nice pair of Birkenstock sandals she doesn't wear. I told her about Frazier's 1956 Buick hood. "Someone will want it, too. All sorts of bizarre things show up," she said. "That's sort of the fun. It connects people." Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

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