I love Freecycle

[watervole]

The more I use Freecycle, the more I like it.

A couple have just called round to remove the wire fence that used to run down my drive.  It will help to stop their dog charging across their lawn.  Saves me a trip to the tip, saves them buying a new fence, and generally saves resources all round.

I've given away quite a few items this way now.  | just send an email saying what I have to give away, and three times out of four, I'll get contacted by someone who wants it.

You can also post wanted ads.  I'm just asking if anyone has an unwanted compost bin.  You never know your luck.

There are Freecycle groups all over the place in more than one country.  Why not see if there is one near you?  If there isn't, why not start one?

Comments

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Does it work like an email list, delivering all messages posted to your inbox, or do you read them on a website? The Manchester group doesn't appear to offer this information before you subscribe, though it does quote stats suggesting it averages 40 messages a day. No way am I signing up for anything that means I get another 40 emails a day!

[alex-holden.livejournal.com]

They're Yahoo Groups so you can turn off email delivery and just use the web interface if you want.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I get the digest version, so only one email a day. I think you can also opt to read things via the web site.

[emmzzi.livejournal.com]

I'm afriad I have rather given up on freecycle due to

- two times out of three, recipient doesn't show up
- number of wanted ads outweighs offers by 4 to 1 on my list. Often people asking for PCs, laptops, other expensive gizmos, and really taking the michael a bit


It was great when it started but has fallen into misuse, I reckon. Or maybe I just need a more tightly moderated group?

[alex-holden.livejournal.com]

The ratio isn't that bad on my local list; more like 60:40 offered to wanted. Some of the wanteds are rather cheeky - "please furnish my entire home for me, oh and I can't drive so you'll have to deliver it to my door."

I gave something to a guy who posted a Wanted, and I was a bit disappointed that he never followed it up with a Received, I suspect because he was hoping several people would respond to it.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Our group has stricter rules. You can only post a wanted ad if you've already posted an offer and had it accepted.

[darth-tigger.livejournal.com]

Ours probably has 75:25 of offered to wanted. I've gifted stuff to someone who posted a wanted ad (demijohns. I'd been meaning to offer them for months but hadn't got round to it, so it saved me the bother) and received stuff from posting a wanted ad of my own (all the needles and most of the wool for the Teledu Stitch 'n' Bitch). I've also received some great stuff from offers (an aerobics step was probably the best one - very useful in my line of work). You do get the occasional person asking for a car, but it's rare and usually wanted ads are for small things you'd have offered if you'd got round to it.

[twinfair.livejournal.com]

I love free-cycle too. I agree the wanteds are way too optimistic (sometimes I just want to reply "GO OUT AND BUY ONE" especially when people are asking for the latest model of TV card for their Vista PC and so on). I also find I end up getting far more than I give away which was not the point of joining it!

The idea of only posting a wanted after you have posted an offered is great but must be a nightmare to administer. our list runs to 50-75 posts a day. I am on digest (we get up to 4 of them a day as well) as I simply cannot cope with the numbers!

PS by coincidence I do have a spare composter but it is too big to get in my car so would be unable to get it to you. Anyway, I have recently decided that I should start using it. I will let the current one alone to rot down and start the new one. I think this is how you are supposed to do it in any case. I am such an amateur!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

That's it. Let one rot and fill the other. Cheerfully add all weeds, lawn clippings, kitchen waste and cardboard. When rotted, add to the surface all over the garden.