Stone Freegle group launched

Stone now has its very own Freegle group, an online space where local people can get rid of unwanted things from around the house and pick things up for free.

Freegle allows you to give stuff away when you need to get rid of it but don’t want to throw it in the bin. Or save something from landfill by asking for it – perhaps someone has just what you need that they were about to throw away.

Over 1.3 million people are now members of Freegle groups in the UK, including 4,000 in Stafford and 6,000 in Stoke-on-Trent. Liz Mills from Stone has now set up a Freegle group for Stone.

If you have something cluttering up your home that you don’t use any more, Stone Freegle could be the answer. Join the group, then it’s as simple as 1,2,3.

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1. Offer the item to the group, giving your approximate location
2. Wait for other members to respond, then arrange for one of them to collect
3. You get the space, someone else uses your unwanted item, and it is kept out of landfill – everyone wins!

Freegle’s aims are simple: to reduce waste by keeping things out of landfill; to clear clutter and encourage people to reuse; and to help others to make use of items which still have some life in them. Everything must be free and local – hence the name. Electrical and household goods and baby items are especially popular.

You can join the new group by going to www.freegle.in/stone

Liz Mills, the founder of Stone’s new group, has been involved in the Stafford group since it began in 2006. It now has 4,000 members and the Potteries group has 6,000. People in Stone may belong to either of these, but Liz felt that Stone, Barlaston, Eccleshall and the surrounding villages could benefit from having their own group.

Liz said: “It will take a while for the group to get going, but all posts remain until they are marked as taken. If everyone who joins can find just one item to give away, however small, it won’t take long to get the ball rolling. I have given away all sorts of things, from a freezer to pots of paint, an old carpet to plants, and received lots of things too. My leather sofa was too small, so I found it a new home when someone offered me theirs as it was too big for their new house.”

To find out more about the Freegle organisation in general, or to find another group, go to www.ilovefreegle.org