FREE-duce, FREE-use, FREECYCLE
This week we shine a light on one of the projects sitting under the ‘Sustainable Wells’ banner - yes, it’s time to take a look at Freecycle and how you can take part as a donor, a recipient, a volunteer or perhaps all three!
What is ‘Freecycle’?
If you haven’t come across it yet, a Freecycle event is like a car boot sale enabling people to give away their unwanted items to those who need them, for free. It embraces the ethos of "one person's trash is another person's treasure," that’s it’s just a little bit crazy to throw away perfectly usable items that could find a new purpose in someone else's life?
While we appreciate the stirling efforts of our Council to recycle as much as possible of our kerbside waste and unwanted goods via the municipal tip, we feel it’s so much better to share rather than discard. Especially when a lot of us are feeling the pinch - This is a Win/Win way of making space while also making someone else’s day!!
In a world where consumerism often takes centre stage, Freecycle helps to give us hope of building a more sustainable future, connecting like-minded individuals with a common goal - reducing waste and building a sustainable future for our community.
What are the Benefits?
By promoting the reuse of items instead of their disposal, Freecycle helps reduce landfill waste, save resources, and minimise the negative environmental consequences of excessive production and consumption.
Let’s take a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s book - when you look around your home how many of your processions spark joy? Or try to remember the last thing you put in the loft? And then the last thing you took out of it?!!
Freecycle inspires individuals to rethink their relationship to material possessions and the accumulation of unnecessary items, to donate what they no longer need for the benefit of someone else.
What To Expect At Our Wells Freecycle
Over the years we have saved 100s of tonnes of landfill by redistributing anything and everything to the lovely people of Wells.
From books, clothes, cookery items and plates, to paintings, prints, rugs and curtains to bicycles, buggies, DIY items, paint, lawnmowers, - even an antique wheelbarrow! - you name it, we’ve had it at one of our bi-monthly Freecycles.
You’d be surprised at some of the items we have reused! Den found two brand new brackets for her bathroom shelf.
Marianne found a sheet of mosaic tiling, just the right colour to tile a shelf in her bathroom.
And sometimes to see the ‘treasure’ you just need a little imagination and know-how!
Den took home unwanted SOAP bars to make into her wonderful washing powder.
Come along and see how it’s done when Den demonstrates this useful skill at the Repair Cafe on Saturday 4th November in St Thomas’ Church Hall
The perfect circular economy in action!!
The list goes on and on and we never have a Freecycle where we aren’t thanked for such a “brilliant idea”. Take a look at the variety of donations and the joy of the recipients at recent Freecycle events - And the joy of giving is as potent as the joy of receiving!
How Do I Join In?
Donate:
If you have items you no longer need and would like to give to someone, be in the Priory Road (Good Earth) Car Park by 12.30pm.
Anything which isn’t taken (and usually that’s not very much at all) needs to be taken away - you might just find a lucky recipient at the next Freecycle.
Receive:
If you want to come along, browse and take home an unexpected treasure, be there by 1pm.
Volunteer:
This event is very much appreciated by everyone who uses it, but it can only take place if we have a regular team of volunteers to carry out the various tasks. These include:
preparing the car park beforehand
showing people to parking spaces
making sure our one-way safety system is observed
taking photos
making sure the unpacking of ‘treasures’ goes smoothly
dealing with any problems which may arise and generally liaising with the public
putting up posters in your workplace, community space, shops and cafés
sharing the event when you see it on Facebook
Volunteers are our heroes and we can’t get enough of them. If you’d like to be one, send an email to sustwells@gmail.com and let us know if you want to volunteer and if there’s a particular task that takes your fancy.
When Is The Next Freecycle?
Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November!
All details are on our website on the FREECYCLE page here and the EVENTS page here
We look forward to seeing you there.