This Saturday, April 16 the “Really Really Free Market” will be in New Paltz at Hasbrouck Park from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Really Really Free Market (RRFM) is a market where people can come and bring their unwanted items and give them away for free. Anyone who wants to is welcome to browse peoples collections and take what they wish. Everyone is allowed to be a vendor as long as they stay with the items they bring so that when the market is over they can take their things.
The concept of a free market allows for many people to have an outlet to live a sustainable life. RRFMs are not a thing that are just in the Hudson Valley, they are a part of a larger movement across the globe and has risen in popularity in the United States as a way to counteract capitalism and its negative effects on the planet.
In the United States a large number of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generated every year. The Environmental Protection Agency says that in 2018 there was a total of 292 million tons of MSW produced — 69 million tons of MSW was recycled in 2018. MSW consists of many different things. The waste that makes up the majority of MSW is as follows: paper 23.1%, food 21.6%, plastics 12.2% and metals 8.8% according to the EPA.
These figures are huge and reflect American society as a whole. Things like the Really Really Free Market allow the individual to combat the waste issue that we have in the United States.
Every item that someone brings to the market is just one less item that will end up in a landfill somewhere. Those who come and participate by taking items allow these things seen as “garbage” to one person to be given a new life under the care of a a new person.
Really Really Free Markets Hudson Valley, the organization hosting this weekend’s market, made a Facebook post advertising the market.
“From clothing to firewood, you can bring anything to get rid of,” the post said. The market is so much more than just garbage. It is a whole slew of things that people don’t have use for anymore.
The market is taking a very safe approach to organizing in the midst of COVID-19. They are ensuring that precautions and resources are available to all people who wish to partake in the market.
“Please make sure all of the belongings are sanitized and clean,” Really Really Free Market Hudson Valley’s post says. “There will be gloves and hand sanitizer available for anyone who needs it!”
The market will be positioned near the gazebo at Hasbrouck Park. Bring some unwanted belongings and stay for a while, or come stop by and take some items for yourself. Be the first step in making the Earth a cleaner place.
