A Summit County man has launched a web-based neighborly recycling program.
Drew Auman of Coventry Township has set up what he calls the reGives Network to provide people with an easier online recycling option.
He wants to connect local people who have items they no longer want with local people who could reuse those items and keep them out of landfills.
You can offer or accept such items as clothes, appliances, furniture, toys, books, magazines, plants, tools, baby items, instruments, costumes and more, said Auman, 34.
“It’s a big idea, but one that I feel is worthwhile,” he said.
“This comes at a time in this world that everyone could use a bit of help out there, and if someone has something that they give, it will not only enrich peoples’ lives, but it will help the environment as well,” Auman said.
Americans produce 230 million tons of trash annually, or 4.6 pounds per person per day, of which only 25 percent is recycled, he said.
Americans can do better, and that’s where the nonprofit, grass-roots movement reGives comes in, he said.
People can enroll for free at www.regives.com.
All items being offered are free with no strings attached.
Auman launched his site Sept. 16.
It is similar to the site Freecycle.org, which claims nearly 2,200 members in Akron and 4,983 local groups with 8.7 million members around the globe.
There is also a local group on Facebook: Greater Akron Swap, Shop and Give.
But Auman said he feels his site will be easier for people wanting to make items accessible to others and for those wanting to claim such items.
His goal is to have reGives.com grow “into every community in the United States,” he said.
“I’m aiming big and I want this to grow as big as we can go,” said Auman, a software developer for a management firm in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood.
He has been working on developing the reGives Network for more than two years. He got involved, he said because he “believes in the whole recycling mindset, not to make money,” he said. “It’s important.”
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
