Freegan Events in New York City

Looking for more info?: ask@freegan.info

January 2026

All freegan.info events are free of charge.

Tuesday, January 13th, 7:30pm EST • Freegan Zoom Meeting

Help make freeganism happen in NYC!
At our organizational meetings we discuss and decide on future activities and group direction. Participants are encouraged to step up and introduce new freegan projects with the support of the group, or take roles such as facilitating meetings. We are glad to have both those who have experience taking part in non-hierarchical, consensus-based groups, and those participating for the first time.

When & Where: The meeting will happen on Zoom. We welcome everyone who would like to attend, but to keep our Zoom gathering safe and secure we ask that you call Janet at (347) 724-6954 ahead of time to introduce yourself and get the Zoom link information.

Thursday, January 22nd, 7:30pm • In-Person Freegan Meeting & (No-Media) Freeganism 101 and Trash Tour

Help make freeganism happen in NYC! At our organizational meetings we discuss and decide on future activities and group direction. Participants are encouraged to step up and introduce new freegan projects with the support of the group, or take roles such as facilitating meetings. We welcome both those with experience taking part in non-hierarchical, consensus-based groups and those participating for the first time.

At 9pm we will have a brief, newcomer-friendly discussion about freeganism before exploring the area’s wasted food and other goods. We give advice on how to salvage these goods and comment on the reasons for such waste.

When & Where:  For the meeting, come at 7:30pm to the the public atrium at 120 Park Avenue – the southwest corner of East 42nd Street and Park Avenue. For the Freeganism 101 and beginning of the Trash Tour, meet us at 9pm in the same location. If you have trouble finding us, call or text Janet at ‭(347) 724-6954‬.

Sunday, January 25th, 2-6pm • Really Really Free Market 

The Really Really Free Market is a bazaar and celebration where we challenge capitalist interactions, and have fun trying new models of exchange. Previous RRFMs have included skill-sharing, clothing, and books! Bring items in good and working condition that you want to pass on to someone else; drop-offs accepted between 12 noon and 4:30pm. Textile recycling drop-off will be available, but general e-waste will not, so please bring working electronics only (with one exception – see below.) No need to bring something to take something. We will not be serving food on-site.

This month only we have the opportunity to try to repair or recycle your non-working string/holiday/Christmas lights! If you’re like me, you have a pile of un-working or half working strands of string lights sitting around. Bring them to this month’s Really Really Free Market and the Holiday Light Doctor will try to fix them, or help you fix them, and if we can’t, we’ll box up all the non-working strands for one of the few places around that will take them for recycling!

When & Where:  Judson Memorial Church, entrance at 239 Thompson Street (the Assembly Hall), Manhattan. 

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Ongoing Sustainable and Mutual Aid Events of other organizations
(updated September 2025)

Weekly Bike Repair Workshops by Times Up
FIX YOUR OWN BIKE WORKSHOPS:
626 E 14th Street, Manhattan
Sundays & Wednesdays, 5:00 – 8:00 pm ET
Open shop — you use our tools and stands to work on your bike.
Experienced mechanics will be present to answer questions, but you do the work. Bike workshops are free, but we strongly encourage you to make a donation or become a Time’s Up member to help support our efforts. If you have a big project in mind, please be considerate of the time and plan ahead.
INFO: times-up.org, or email xupbicyclecoop@gmail.com

Food Not Bombs
Long Island Food Not Bombs currently shares free groceries and hot meals every Saturday at 3:45 pm ET just outside Von King/Tompkins Park (NW corner of Lafayette Ave. & Marcy Ave.) as part of its Bed-Stuy Food Share. Volunteers welcome, starting at 3 pm!
INFO: communitysolidarity.org, or email info@communitysolidarity.org

Food Not Bombs in Manhattan offers a vegetarian meal share (using donated food that would otherwise be wasted) Sundays at 4:30 pm ET in Tompkins Square Park (7th St & Ave. A)
Contact them if you’re interested in helping to cook and prepare food. The most up-to-date info, including specific item needs for aiding migrants, is on their facebook page: facebook.com/lowermanhattanfoodnotbombs

Composting
Curbside composting is now available to all residents in New York City. Find out more here:
www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/collection/residents/curbside-composting.page

Lower East Side Ecology Center has closed many of their compost collection sites since the start of curbside composting, so check the list on their website before you head out!
Union Square Park greenmarket: M, W, F, Sa, 8am-5pm ET
Tompkins Square greenmarket: Sundays 8am-5pm ET
Clinton & Grand: Mondays 9am-4pm ET
East Broadway and Rutgers: Wednesday 9am-4pm ET
Mathews-Palmer Park, 445 W 45th: 7 days a week 7am-6pm ET
INFO: lesecologycenter.org/compost

City-wide list of composting resources
This is a great resource to find places city-wide to bring your food scraps.:
www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/collection/residents/food-scrap-drop-off.page

East New York Compost Project
They have resumed public food scrap collection:
Drop off at the East New York Youth Farm, 24/7
620 Schenck Ave. Brooklyn, NY
See more info here: http://www.cypresshills.org/east-new-york-farms

Textile Recycling 
Green Tree Textiles has textile-recycling-collection at a few Greenmarkets, AND they accept fabric and textile scraps along with intact, usable pieces!
They have a lot of collection sites, including Greenmarkets and drop-off boxes, listed on their website here:: https://www.greentreetextiles.org/donation-locations

Wearable Collections
While we are still disappointed that they do not accept fabric scraps and rags, they do have a number of Greenmarket collection sites for re-usable, intact clothing: www.wearablecollections.com/greenmarket

Electronics Recycling
Lower East Side Ecology Center has a few e-waste recycling events in January!
Saturday, January 10, 10am-2pm, Queens County Farm Museum parking lot, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Glen Oaks, Queens, NY
Saturday, January 10, 10am-2pm, Joseph P Addabbo Health Center parking lot, 6200 Beach Channel Drive, Arverne, Queens, NY
Sunday, January 11, 10am-2pm, Union Square Park, north plaza, East 17th St. btwn. Broadway and Park Ave South, Manhattan, NY
More info can be found at:www.lesecologycenter.org/e-waste/#collection-events

Also, while not ideal, NYC has a list of mostly corporate e-waste collection sites: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/collection/get-rid-of/e-waste-drop-off-sites.page

Fixers Collective
The Fixers Collective is a social experiment in improvisational fixing and aggressive asset recovery. They host monthly repair clinics at Hack Manhattan, and occasional events elsewhere. Events are usually on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, at Hack Manhattan, 34 W 37th St. between 5th and 6th Aves. (Note that the space is up a flight of stairs.)
There is a suggested $5 donation, but no one is turned away.
Check for details, and let them know what you’re bringing in for repair, on their facebook page: www.facebook.com/fixerscollective

Hack Manhattan
Hack Manhattan is a non-profit, all-volunteer hackerspace in New York City. The space is a place for people to come together and socialize, work on projects, and share knowledge. They welcome anyone interested in art, craft, and technology – whether you’re interested in electronics or gardening, textiles or 3D printing, They invite you to come, work, and be part of the community.
While they do encourage people to become paying members of the space, they host regular Project Nights/Open Houses on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7pm to 9:15pm at Hack Manhattan, 34 W 37th St. btween 5th and 6th Aves. (Please note that the space is up a flight of stairs.)
See more info here: hackmanhattan.com

DEAR FRIENDS: KEEP FREEGAN.INFO ONLINE!
If you like this website, or come to our events, consider helping keep freegan.info afloat.
We’re still trying to keep up with our basic expenses by raising a few funds here: www.gofundme.com/f/help-keep-freeganinfo-online
We operate on a nearly zero budget, we’re all volunteers, we only use spaces we can access for free, and we certainly don’t buy anything for our events – but… our web tools cost us money.
We provide events for hundreds of people each year (and have been since 2005!!) and salvage thousands of pounds of food and other goods each year.
Can you help us stay online?