Green Daily

Think dumpster diving sounds like fun, but don't like the whole touching-germ-ridden-trash part?

No problem: just dive into a virtual dumpster. VDumpsters lets you search through other users' bins for stuff you need, and they can do the same to you. Reduce, reuse, and recycle, without having to wash your hands afterward.

Does this new site sound familiar? It should - it's pretty much an amalgamation of Craigslist and Freecycle. On VDumps (that would make a great rapper name), you sign up, advertise your old junk, and search through others' bins via zip code or state. (The site is still in its infancy - so far, I'm the only one signed up in my Philly zip code). But the virtual dumpster idea is a creative one, and it's thrilling to see people participating - I just hope it finds its niche and doesn't get lost among the more well-known forums.
Another new site, Trashcycle, is a bit different: users can list pretty much anything they want (old food containers, logs, broken furniture, you name it) in hopes that someone, somewhere, will find it useful. When I visited the site, one user from Providence, Rhode Island was in search of worms, and another wanted a wedding dress. You can search for items you need, or, like Worm Guy, list it for all users to see. Sound weird? A little, but the site's owners claim that many schools use the site to get materials needed for class projects.

I'm not sure if I would have the time and patience to list every last piece of trash on a site like TrashCycle, but maybe it's something we should all be striving for. The next time you're about to throw something out, think: Would someone else actually find a use for this piece of crap? Chances are, they will.