What Are Angelenos Giving Away In One Buy Nothing Group? All This Treasured Stuff

In my L.A. Buy Nothing group, I started noticing really immoderate objects, fixed for free from neighbour to neighbor, transportation affectional weight. An point was much than it appeared. It was a portion of individual history, possibly 1 pinch generational memories.

From 1 person’s hands to another’s, objects find caller life done nan free gift system connected Facebook aliases nan Buy Nothing app. Buy Nothing Project, a nationalist use corporation, reports having 14 cardinal members crossed much than 50 countries who springiness distant 2.6 cardinal items a month. There are much than 100 groups successful Los Angeles alone.

Buy Nothing reduces discarded by keeping items retired of landfills. It besides builds community. When our lives are progressively online, Buy Nothing encourages america to get retired of our cars and make connections pinch neighbors, moreover if nan relationship is nary much than a activity erstwhile picking thing up near by a doorstep. Researchers person found that moreover mini societal interactions tin foster a consciousness of belonging.

Still, Buy Nothing has its challenges. For years, immoderate person complained that nan groups shouldn’t beryllium constricted to neighborhoods, but alternatively person much unfastened borders. Last year, galore longtime members complained astir nan task enforcing its trademark, starring Facebook to unopen down unregistered groups moreover if they were serving group nether economical strain. Critics saw nan tattling arsenic a displacement from communal assistance toward power and branding. For its part, Buy Nothing says its decisions are based connected building community, spot and safety.

Despite those disagreements, Buy Nothing offers a level for typical connections. As overmuch arsenic location are jokes astir group offering half-eaten cake, galore person passed on treasured items. Buy Nothing items whitethorn consciousness excessively valuable for nan trash aliases excessively individual for Goodwill. The relationship betwixt giver and receiver becomes conscionable arsenic meaningful arsenic nan entity itself.

I group retired to archive these quiet exchanges successful my Buy Nothing group, drawn to nan mobility of why group take to walk their belongings from 1 neighbour to another.

Tiny builders, large exchange

Lidia Butcher gives a toolbox and worktable her 2 sons utilized to Chelsea Ward for her 17-month-old son.

“We’ve had nan toolbox and worktable for nan past 10 years, it’s been very special. When I told my youngest boy we were going to springiness it away, he was a small sad. He said he was still playing pinch it, but past I explained that it’s been sitting untouched for a twelvemonth and that if we gave it to personification else, possibly personification other would beryllium happy astir it. So he felt joyousness astir giving it to different kid who would want to play pinch it. I person this small affectional emotion letting it go, but astatine nan aforesaid time, it’s a bully feeling. Like a caller beginning.”

— Lidia Butcher, 35, joined nan group respective years agone erstwhile personification told her a personification successful nan group erstwhile asked for a cup of sugar.

“We’re getting a worktable. Benji is now aged capable to beryllium willing successful playing pinch tools. I’m going to move my drafting array retired of his room. His chamber is my office. So that will spell into retention aliases nan Buy Nothing group and nan worktable will spell successful its place. We unrecorded successful an apartment, and arsenic he’s growing, his needs alteration but our abstraction doesn’t. Buy Nothing is really adjuvant to beryllium capable to rhythm retired of stuff.”

— Chelsea Ward, 38, has recovered nan Buy Nothing group highly adjuvant since becoming a mom.

Something borrowed

Abby Rodriguez lends Sophie Janinet a veil for her wedding.

“Sophie had asked for a wedding veil connected our Buy Nothing group and I’m lending it to her because I wanted it to person a 2nd life. I dislike nan thought that precious things conscionable beryllium location and ne'er get touched. My wedding time was 1 of nan champion days of my life. At 1 constituent nan powerfulness went retired and now we person this astonishing image pinch my hubby and I and everyone utilizing their telephone to ray up nan creation floor.”

— Abby Rodriguez, 40, discovered Buy Nothing erstwhile she moved to her northeast L.A. vicinity successful 2020.

“I moved to Los Angeles from France 4 years ago. The time I joined Buy Nothing was nan first clip I felt connected to nan community. It played a immense domiciled successful my adapting to life here. I’m receiving a veil because I want my wedding to look and consciousness for illustration my values. I thrifted my dress, I chose a section seamstress to change nan dress but erstwhile I tried it on, I felt thing was missing. I wanted a veil but I didn’t want to bargain caller because I didn’t want to adhd thing to nan landfill. So I posted a petition for nan veil connected Buy Nothing.”

— Sophie Janinet, 37, is recreating nan low-waste, slower-paced values she erstwhile lived by successful France done her section Buy Nothing community.

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1. Abby Rodriguez, left, holds her wedding veil that she is lending Sophie Janinet, right, for her upcoming wedding. 2. Michele Sawers, near stands pinch Beth Penn, right, while giving her a ornamental owl.

A pigeon-spooking owl gets a 2nd life

Michele Sawers gives Beth Penn a ornamental owl.

“Coming from a spot of luck, now I person plentifulness to give. The owl has been pinch maine for 26 years. I bought nan owl soon aft I bought this house. The owl was purchased because I had a pigeon problem, they would campy retired nether my eves and I would person vertebrate poop everywhere. The owl must person worked because they’re gone and they haven’t travel back.”

— Michele Sawers, 58, uses Buy Nothing regularly to link pinch her organization and support her low-consumption values.

“There are things I don’t want to own. So borrowing those things connected Buy Nothing is really nice. There is simply a personification who I borrowed their cooler doubly and their ladder doubly truthful I consciousness for illustration they are my neighbour moreover though they are not [right adjacent door]. We get these birds that poop connected nan platform and nan proposal online was to get a clone owl. When it was posted connected Buy Nothing, I thought, ‘I person to person that owl!’ It’s going to person a bully location pinch maine connected nan platform pinch immoderate cats, a canine and immoderate kids.”

— Beth Penn, 47, erstwhile helped build her section Buy Nothing group and now experiences it from nan different side, arsenic a member.

Stuffed toys find a caller purpose

Magaly Leyva, left, stands pinch Tatiana Lonny, right, pinch nan stuffed toys and play balls she is gifting her.

(Dania Maxwell/For The Times)

Magaly Leyva gives stuffed toys and integrative play balls to Tatiana Lonny.

“My mother-in-law gave nan dolls and integrative play balls to my daughter, but she has truthful much. My girl is not going to play pinch them pinch nan aforesaid intent that different kid would, because she’s really little. I’d alternatively different kid usage these things.”

— Magaly Leyva, 35, joined Buy Nothing astir 4 years agone to find apparel for her nephew.

“I’m taking these caller items to a township called Langa successful South Africa. I cognize nan kids location will beryllium truthful happy. They person truthful small there. I’m doing this each by myself, I’m conscionable collecting a GoFundMe for nan suitcase interest astatine nan airport.”

— Tatiana Lonny, 51, began utilizing Buy Nothing successful hopes of uncovering resources to support nan animals she rescues.

A 2nd helping

Laura Cherkas gives Aurora Sanchez a formed robust pan.

“Buy Nothing gives maine nan state to fto spell of things because I cognize that they will enactment successful nan organization and nan neighborhood. I’m giving a mates of formed robust items that my hubby and I sewage erstwhile we were connected a formed robust kick, astir apt during COVID. We wished that we don’t really usage these peculiar pans and they were conscionable making our drawers heavy. So we decided to fto personification other get immoderate usage retired of them.

“I dislike throwing things away. I want to spot things person different life. Sometimes I return things to a aid center, but I for illustration nan individual relationship pinch Buy Nothing and that you cognize that location is personification who decidedly wants your item.”

— Laura Cherkas, 40, has built connections pinch different moms done Buy Nothing and values it arsenic a measurement to rhythm toys successful and retired for her child.

Laura Cherkas, left, holds nan cookware she is gifting Aurora Sanchez, right, done Buy Nothing.

(Dania Maxwell/For The Times)

“I wanted a formed robust cookware because I navigator a batch of grilled meat. I’m excited to effort this style of cooking retired and it will thief maine erstwhile I navigator for only 1 aliases 2 people. I sewage fortunate because I was chosen to person it.”

— Aurora Sanchez, 54, has spent nan past 2 years engaging pinch Buy Nothing, uncovering successful it a consciousness of neighborly support that makes her consciousness weighted while strengthening her relationship to nan community.

Next subordinate up

Joe Zeni, 70, is utilizing his section Buy Nothing group connected Facebook to springiness distant a hoops hoop he utilized pinch his boy erstwhile he was little.

(Dania Maxwell/For The Times)

Joe Zeni first offered a hoops hoop connected Buy Nothing successful 2023, wherever it remains unclaimed.

“I’m giving distant a Huffy hoops freestanding hoop because it’s conscionable taking up space. We utilized to play equine and sprout baskets together. My boy is now 35, he doesn’t unrecorded present anymore.”

— Joe Zeni, 70, uses Buy Nothing often to springiness items away, believing galore of nan things he nary longer needs still person purpose.