Share, Swap, Borrow and Get Free Stuff!

We all know that getting what you need through sharing, borrowing and swapping instead of buying new is good for the planet: It reduces your use of virgin materials and keeps useful items from heading to the landfill. But did you know you could land a few freebies in the process? From no-cost education to free food, here are 6 ways to score free stuff in the emerging “sharing economy.”

1. Books

Photo: Alexandra Vietti, Earth911

We all know we can borrow books for free at the library. But what if you can’t find the title you’re looking for at your local branch?



Rather than waiting weeks for it to be shipped from another library or racking up carbon emissions by driving to other branches, head to one of the growing number of online book trading communities, and snag a copy for free.



Book Hopper, BookMooch and Paperback Swap all allow you to trade and borrow titles with fellow bookworms for free.



If you prefer electronic copies, Amazon allows you to loan out a Kindle book you own to a friend for 14 days – meaning you can swap titles with your neighbors for low-cost reading for all. Don’t have a Kindle? Don’t worry. You can also read the book on your desktop or laptop computer.



If none of your friends have the e-book you’re searching for, head to sites that connect Kindle loaners with book borrowers for free, such as BookLending, Lendle and eBookFling.



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