Freecycle Da Nang is a place where you can give away good old items for free and vice versa, and spread the message of protecting the environment and saving waste resources.

A screenshot of the Freecycle Da Nang's homepage

‘It’s old for him but new for me’

“I have a baby high chair still in good condition. The chair has wheels, so if you don't sit to eat, you can remove the legs to make a stroller. It looks a bit old, so you just need to clean it to use. Anyone who needs it can drop by my house on Trieu Quoc Dat Stret to pick it up”. That information was posted by Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong Tra residing in Hoa Tho Dong Ward, Cam Le District, on the Fanpage ‘Freecycle Da Nang - A place to give away things for free’ on September 25. As soon as it was posted, some people in need sent messages to Mrs. Tra to ask for it.

Ms. Tra said she felt happy when she can give the product to those in need.

Most of the items given or donated are used or the owner has no need to use them. Those who are in need can send messages to ask for them and schedule a time to pick them up without paying any fees.

23-year-old Tran Thi Dieu Hien, a resident of Binh Hien Ward, Hai Chau District, said that sometimes she cleans the house and finds some used items and clothes. She then washes them and posts the information on Fanpage with the hope that the items would be delivered to new owners quickly.

Building a responsible living community

Since its establishment in Da Nang in 2018, the Freecycle community now has nearly 9,000 members.

Mr. Nam Phong, residing in An Hai Bac Ward, Son Tra District, who is one of the administrators of the Fanpage, confirmed that the Freecycle Da Nang is not a charity group, and it works on the principle of sharing items for free. Therefore, givers need to specify the information of items that they want to give away, and their living area for those in need to consider the travel distance to avoid incurring shipping costs.

“We created this group because we realise that many people are wasting valuable items” added he.

What we want is that both givers and receivers clearly understand the essence of the message ‘It’s old for him but new for me’. With articles of a promotional or sales nature, the administrators will delete or block members from the group without prior notice, emphasised Mr. Phong.

It can be said that saving shopping costs and avoiding waste of resources are among the operational goals of the Freecycle Da Nang. In addition to serving the needs of personal consumption, some members of Freecycle Da Nang have actively connected and searched for products to send to poor ethnic minority peoples.

Joining the Freecycle Da Nang from 2020, Nguyen Kim Anh, a student at the Faculty of Law of the Da Nang University of Economics, said that many members have a need to donate clothes for charity purposes. Therefore, most recently, Kim Anh and a group of classmates have collected and transported clothes to teachers and children in Tuan Giao District, Dien Bien Province.

"In addition to clothes, we also get a lot of toys, books and comic books to serve the entertainment needs of upland children" said Kim Anh.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by M.DUNG