Many people are using online means of buying themselves stuff quickly and easily. It all takes time and resources to package up and send and then builds up until finally it’s time to dispose of it. What to do? Do you put your treasured possessions in the bin or on the street-side (depending on their bulk!) and send them to landfill? Well that solution has become less attractive as pressure on the planet increases. So many have been looking at online alternatives.
Ebay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/) – The big daddy of auction sites has a global reach and fantastic offers
Gumtree (http://www.gumtree.com/) – The biggest UK classified ads site with an even broader range of goods at tremendous prices
VivaStreet (http://www.vivastreet.co.uk/) – Another great classified ads site big in the UK
Giving it Away
But these are all commercial enterprises with an emphasis on size and competition. If all you want to do is find a good home for a well-loved piece of kit, then why not give it away? Most people want their stuff to be useful for another family or provide fun and excitement for another child, but often don’t see that their neighbours and friends might be in need of just what they want to get rid of. And of course we all want to get something we need for free!
The Freecycle Network (https://www.freecycle.org/) is made up of 5,142 groups with 7,589,001 members around the world. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.
Southwark Freecycle
Southwark has an active Freecycle Group (https://groups.freecycle.org/group/southwark-freecycle/) who post Wanteds and Offers just about daily. Recent items available in SE16 include double-bed mattress, child’s paddling pool and a sofa but the group covers the whole of Southwark so there’s much more to choose from. Freecycle is one way for neighbours to become more self-sufficient and prevents us buying more stuff each time!
Also try these alternatives: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2009/oct/13/waste-recycling
