Thumbing through my Patagonia catalogue in the not so distant past, I came across an article on a start-up called Yerdle written by Andy Ruben, its CEO and cofounder. While sounding vaguely reminiscent of the yurt, it is in fact a website that aims to extend the life of the things we own, but no longer want. It’s a place where you can donate items destined for the landfill or dust collection in a closet and find free—yup, free—stuff that you do want.

Ruben writes, “Just as mass production of the last 100 years provided access to goods, mobile technologies now allow us to make better use of the items we already own. The experience of sharing what we have isn’t simply more efficient; it can be beautiful.”

Here’s how it works: Each item is worth a certain number of credits. You earn credits by signing up (250) and can earn more by donating to Yerdle or referring a friend (25 per). The only cash exchanged is a small fee ($2-$4) to cover shipping; you can also arrange for pickup.

I signed up for their daily email and have been amazed by the types of items people are giving away. Today’s email included a small food processer (90 credits), a pet carrier (65 credits), two hummingbird feeders (25 credits), a laser level (still in the box; 80 credits), a Panasonic pencil sharpener, a garden tool with kneeling mat (65 credits), an onion machine (still in the box; 65 credits), a wooden knife block (25 credits) and the list goes on.

And, yes, there’s an app.

-Jesse Nankin