A couple of days ago, a man with a tousled mop of hair, a paunch and a beard knocked on my door. I had never met him before, but without any questions I handed Manu — for that was his name — a perfectly functional Freeview box that the efreaks no longer needed. He smiled, thanked me and headed off into the night…
No, I said Freegle
This was my first experience of Freegling. Using Freegle is beautifully simple. If you have something you are keen to get rid of but don’t want to dump it at the tip, you pop the details on a website. Other people who live near you see it online and, if they want it, drop you an email and arrange to pick it up. I had 20 emails within two days for the Freeview box (remote control included). Alan wanted it for more channel choice during the World Cup. Kati wanted it because her’s had broken down and the kids were pestering her to watch TV during half term. Rowan definitely wanted it, although he wasn’t sure how it worked. In the end, I plumped for Manu simply because he was the first person to email me (about an hour after I posted it) — but apparently in Freegle etiquette, you can choose whoever you like to give it to.
We have an increasing problem with waste in the UK, as landfills are filling up fast. Of course, the best thing to do to help is stop buying stuff you don’t need. But before you throw away the 18th candlestick holder you got as an engagement present, think about whether some poor sucker who (more…)
