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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Move in, move out, repeat.

Couch

Free online trading post

This isn’t your grandma’s recycling. Freecycle is a worldwide effort to promote recycling giveaways from one person to the next. There’s a Bloomington group site on Yahoo! that posts about 200  items each week. Think local eBay, but free. Sign up for a daily newsletter to find out what people want and what they’re giving away. The mission of the program, according to the site, is, “A perfect consumer/earth friendly circle with no overhead, no money, no waste, and no catch.”

Join the group at
groups.yahoo.com/group/BBINFreecycle/

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Drop off unwanted furniture and appliances to the store whose profits help build affordable housing in Monroe County. Donations of appliances have been low this year, but demand has been steady, says Alexis Maegerlein, donation intake coordinator. “We’re working to get a connection with married housing,” she says. “When they move out, instead of leaving furniture on the curb, we’d come and pick it up.” Planning on getting an unfurnished place this summer? Couches often go for less than $100, and lamps walk out of the store for $5 to $25.

300 W. 11th St.
(812) 331-2660

Heavy metal

Take a trip to your front yard, collect some cans, and cash them in at JB Salvage, a scrap metal recycling center. Owner John Robinson says the business buys cans, old cars, and computers but does not accept anything plastic or glass. The value of an item is determined by weight. For instance, an old car typically goes for $150. Robinson says an item’s condition is not important. “It doesn’t matter — we just crush it up.”

1803 W. Vernal Pike
(812) 332-0606
www.jbsalvageinc.com

Our sidEwalk, your dumping spot

Monroe County wants your extra stuff. Drop shoes, clothing, houseware, books, and small electronics off at the Reuse Sidewalk Exchange. Anyone can come up to once a week and take items for free. “It’s nothing different than what students go through to put it out on the sidewalk,” says Scott Morgan, operations director of the Solid Waste Management District. “I wish they’d bring their stuff over. Why put it in the trash when it could go to use for someone?”
Drop off or pick up items from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
One catch: The exchange is for smaller household items only. Call the Rural Trading Posts in Ellettsville or New Unionville, Ind., to drop off the bulky stuff.

3400 S. Walnut St.
(812) 349-2020

Fond dorm memories

We know you’ve always wanted to decorate with old dorm furniture. When IU replaces computers or furniture, the University brings it to IU Surplus Stores. The items are then sold to the public at cheap rates. Joe Goss, director of materials management, says most business comes from selling computers, which go for $350 or less. “We sell about 1,500 desktop computers a year,” he says.
IU Surplus Stores also features apartment furniture such as tables, couches, and chairs. A table can be as cheap as $10, and couches range from $30 to $60.
“We have very few items that would ever be more than $50 apiece,” Goss says. If you’re interested in stopping by the IU Surplus Stores, don’t forget your checkbook, because cash and credit cards are not accepted.

2931 E. 10th St.
www.indiana.edu/~surplus

Cash for your Couch

Return your textbooks, get a couple bucks. Sell your furniture, pay the rent. Furniture Exchange owner Steve Birch says about 60 percent of his business is college students buying or selling. Bring furniture to the store where Birch will make an offer on the spot. Or e-mail photos to get a quote. If you’re buying and want to avoid the August rush, Birch suggests checking out the Web site during the summer to see what is offered and then calling the store to place a phone order (the Web site is not configured for online shopping).
It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

424 S. College Ave.
(812) 334-1236
info@furniture-ex.com

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