Do you love Freegle yet?
Freegle is ECC’s answer to their reuse campaign to encourage residents to donate unwanted items rather than throwing them away. As Freegle says on its website:
Don’t throw it away, give it away!
Got stuff you don’t need? We’ll find someone to come and take it.
Looking for something? We’ll pair you with someone giving it away.
All completely free: it’s like online dating for stuff.
Some people have stuff they don’t want any more. Other people would like things they don’t have. This free online service matches them up. They don’t have physical premises or warehouses – people give things directly to each other.
A Hoarder’s Tale
Like most of us, I have hoarded over some 30+ years and began to realise about 2 or 3 years ago that I cannot use most of what my cupboards hold. I have also become more worried about the increasing number of ‘things’ we are all buying new – and mucking up the environment with!
I have now been recycling to charity shops, freegle, friends and family for some two years and am slowly making inroads into the numerous cubby holes and designated areas where I have been keeping my precious possessions (which are no longer quite as desirable!). First the cupboards get emptied and then they get given away themselves and it is lovely to see them go to find a new life – especially when they are earmarked for the storage of children’s items!
I have probably another 3 years of increasingly active clearing to get through before I am ready to move to my new exciting retirement house! And it’s all fun giving me the chance to meet some really great and different people. What more can I say about recycling! I would recommend it to everyone.
A Colchester Member
You can find local offers and wanted items on the Colchester group’s webpage.
Some statistics from the Colchester District
- At present they have just under 13,000 members.
- They saved 8.925 tonnes of CO2 over the past 12 months.
- Since July 2018 they have managed to see 17.5 tonnes of reused items – that means 17.5 tonnes less landfill!