What the Freegle

What the Freegle?

One man’s clutter is another man’s treasure- if only those people knew of the other’s existence and could get in touch with each other. That’s exactly what Freegle does.

Freegle (FREEly Given, Locally, Easily) is a UK-wide organisation of people who give and receive unwanted items for free in their local communities with the aim to keep anything reusable out of landfill. As well as individuals, organisations such as local charities and non-profit groups are also welcomed.

The basic principle is that all offers and requests must be free and legal. Some groups may have additional rules, such as no animals, but these are all laid out clearly when you join.

In its simplest form, Freegle is a Yahoo! Groups email list; that allows users to offer items up that they would otherwise throw away. It also allows requests from users, perhaps reminding someone that they have the required item sitting in the loft gathering dust and prompting them to offer it up.

Here’s an example:

1.          I have just brought a new television, and have no need for the old, still working set.
2.          Instead of taking it to the tip, I post an OFFER on Freegle, which is then seen by the other members of the group.
3.          Interested members will reply to me privately via email.
4.          I choose who to give it to, and contact them, arranging a convenient pick up time.
5.          They arrive at the appointed time, and pick it up and take it away.

It’s that simple. The unwanted television has been taken off of my hands, for someone else to use with almost no effort from me, and I’ve saved something from going to landfill needlessly.

Likewise, if you’re looking for something specific, you simply post a WANTED message to Freegle, and wait and see if anyone in the group has what you’re looking for, and you then arrange to pick it up from them at a time that suits you both.

And the beauty of Freegle is that it’s split into smaller, local groups. That way all the items you see offered are within your local area, so you won’t have to travel hundreds of miles to pick something up!

I’ve used Freegle for many months myself, and have often been surprised by the breadth of items offered. I’ve seen everything from bikes and children’s toys to high-end coffee machines and kitchen items. The 21” television and stand sitting in my living room came from Freegle, and have served me well for some time now.

So how do you join Freegle?

Simple, go to http://www.ilovefreegle.org/, and click on the “Find a Group” button. From there, either click on your region on the map, or select your region on the left, and then find your nearest group. This will take you to their Yahoo! Groups page, where you fill in your details and click to join. You have to be approved first, but that usually only takes a short time, and then you’re ready to go. My local group has 15,702 members and is very active, and even has a separate “Café Group” for off-topic posts such as local events, community news and general discussions.

So what are you waiting for? Go and join the Freegle revolution!