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New location-aware website, Yinyango, helps users find free stuff nearby, reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill.
Yinyango is a new location-aware website that promotes "local reusing" by creating a place for residents to list free, unwanted items Operating in most metropolitan areas in the US this website is helping Americans send less waste to the landfill by capitalizing on the idea 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' There are hundreds of thousand of well maintained, unwanted items – from furniture to kitchenware, plants, baby clothes, etc – listed for free around the country.
Yinyango's creator Ryan Walsh believes that most Americans are environmentalists at heart but until now have not had a convenient way to find reusable items or offer items for reuse
"I don't know anyone who would want to send a perfectly good TV to the landfill rather than let someone else use it for several years more," Walsh said. "I've had a lot of experience on both sides of the reusing equation, and it's really encouraging to see how joyful the givers are. People seem to want their old possessions to 'live on' and be appreciated by new owners."
The name "Yinyango" is a tribute to the philosophy of yin and yang, which involves concepts such as "renewal," "interdependence," and "balance." Yinyango hopes to inspire the world "to realize its abundance." Maybe it was luck or perhaps it was good karma for creating such a positive website, but Ryan was able to furnish most of his apartment with free items found via Yinyango.org After signing up to receive email alert for available items in his area he was notified that 'couches, tables, microwaves, stereos, bookshelves, and other items were headed to the landfill unless someone would come pick them up and make good use of them'.
In addition to items offered directly on Yinyango, the website also displays free items originally posted on Craigslist. Unlike Freecycle and similar websites, Yinyango does not require membership to participate in the program By not having to register to participate in the program hopefully more people will see how easy it is to donate or collect unwanted items
"Reduce, reuse, regive", the Yinyango motto that is helping to slow and reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill one free item at a time.
