The Facebook page that encourages you to buy nothing

Forget trawling through neighbourhood garage sales, second-hand markets or online auction sites to find your treasured bargain buy.

Searching for “one man’s trash” to make your treasure has never been easier with the social organisation Buy Nothing, a Facebook phenomenon on a mission to banish throwaway culture. 

What was started by two friends Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark as an “experimental hyper-local gift economy” in the US, has blossomed into a worldwide social and upcycling movement with the “waste not, want not” philosophy at its core. 

The premise is simple. Items are posted on localised Facebook group pages, and members can express interest for the item with one lucky person receiving the item free of charge.

The exchanges are not tic for tac, instead it involves people choosing to gift and putting in their expressions of interest when a needed item is up for grabs.

Buy Nothing Highgate/Perth Group Facebook page administrator Bronwyn Smith says the origins of the movement came down to people wanting to make someone’s day by reducing and reconnecting.

“The movement just came about from a couple of like-minded people just trying to reduce their footprint on the earth, while connecting with like-minded neighbours.”

Over the past seven years, Buy Nothing pages like this have helped save members money, while encouraging them to rethink their consumerism habits as well as helping to strengthen local community connections.

Early on in the pandemic, Smith noticed the group experienced an influx of members seeking out that sense of community.

“The value of the community really came to light during the height of lockdown, when we had many more people joining, seeking to connect in a COVID-safe manner. We saw an overflow of offers of people to assist neighbours who might not be able to source things due to supermarket shortages and accessibility reasons.” 

The movement also encourages people to request to borrow, share among those within their neighbourhood or ask the group for a wanted item. Some gifts have been grand, especially for Buy Nothing Fremantle member Emma D’Orazio, my cousin, who originally alerted me to the group’s existence. 

“I like the idea of minimising waste and giving things away to brighten someone’s day. Of course, it’s nice to receive, too – I have an out-of-tune antique piano now.”

The real wealth, of course, are the human connections made, getting a cheap (or in this case, free) thrill from gifting. There is a double satisfaction of getting rid of that item that no longer sparks Marie Kondo-style joy and giving it to someone else to excitedly receive. 

I joined my local Buy Nothing Facebook group earlier this year as I had recently moved into a one-bedroom apartment that I had managed to furnish entirely for under $1000.

The group allowed me to not only meet with people of the same mind but also adhere to my ethos of recycling goods, reducing waste and living frugally, all without comprising my standard of living.

Couches, kitchen tables, microwaves, washing machines, baby clothes, lamps, desks, chairs – you name it, countless household items have been gifted to a new home, although the most generous gift I have seen in my time was a drum kit. 

Being a part of the movement made me realise that the ultimate receiver is the person who gives; the appreciation and smile of gratitude received upon giving are both priceless. Plus, if you’re aiming to be a drummer prodigy like Dave Grohl, you might even pick up a drum kit.