Don’t throw it away – give it away on Freegle By Liz Douglas

28th September 2014

As featured in our August edition of Palmers Green & Southgate LIFE magazine

By Liz Douglas www.ilovefreegle.org 

Don’t throw it away – give it away on Freegle! You might not need that old sofa or wheelbarrow any more – but there might be someone just round the corner who does. Or if there’s something you’d like, someone nearby might have one. Doesn't matter what condition your things are someone may still want them even old mattresses are useful to allotment holders. Lurking in sheds, attics and cupboards all over the UK are items that are too good to throw away, but are not loved or needed anymore. Freegle online groups can help! Remember, if you can't find what you need through Freegle, then please shop online through Give as you Live and raise funds for Freegle, without costing you a penny extra.

Hi there!, I’m Liz Douglas, I’m getting in touch to introduce myself and the UK Online Voluntary, Nonprofit recycling/reuse Charity ilovefreegle.org – I run the Enfield branch of Freegle with over 6,638 members.  Freegle means ‘Free Giving Locally Easily’ and has only one goal ‘To Stop Good Stuff Going to Landfill’ and in doing that support our local communities. Freegle actively encourage Schools, Colleges, Uni’s and other learning centre’s, Community Groups, Voluntary, Nonprofits, Local business and many more who can post for resources completely free of charge. Freegle can help and there’s no money involved in being part of the Freegle Community.

Members can offer or request just about anything so long as its free and legal even broken white and electrical goods and can post a ‘Wanted’ or respond to an offer of another washing machine, cooker or whatever and when they break down pop them back up and get another.

www.ilovefreegle.org is a registered Charity (HMRC XT32865) run entirely online on Yahoo Groups who are our web providers since we have very little regular funding.  There are currently 400 Freegle groups UK wide and members can join as many groups as they wish with over 1,756,637 members and counting. We opened our ‘Virtual Doors’ in September 2009 Freegle is run by over 1,000 dedicated unpaid volunteers who each pay their groups running costs from their own pockets now that’s impressive!

We also have our own server Freegle Direct https://direct.ilovefreegle.org  there’s a Freegle App so you can Freegle on the go and you’ll find us on both Facebook and Twitter links on our main website. There are both Freegle nationally and locally on both sites. 

Freegle Communities across the UK saved 832 tonnes of perfectly useful stuff from landfill in the past 31 days which is pretty amazing and we were finalists in the 2012 Climate Week Awards won by the Isle of Wight to add to the many other local and national online Green Awards for our efforts in recycling/reuse and community support.