Recycling waste is always a good idea as it typically uses less energy to recycle than it does to extract the raw material and make new. Freecycle is a scheme that goes a step further (and has done for quite a while now) by being a service where people with goods to dispose of can list them for others to collect and re-use. Basically it is a re-use network.
My local Freecycle has been running for quite a while now and I have had some excellent items (Widescreen TV, Gym Kit) as well as finding a new home for some of my waste (kitchen kit, computer kit etc). Apart from the huge number of ‘wanted’ posts that have been sent in the past, the scheme runs very well and is keeping waste out of landfill.
This weekend I added some more kit I was otherwise going to throw away. Typically I had a number of requests for some of the kit, which should all go soon. On some items it is usual to get emails asking more questions – which I answer as quickly as possible. On one item, after answering the question email I got a reply saying they would collect the item the following day. This despite me not confirming they could have the item. As I was still waiting onothers to either express interest or drop out I chose to hold off replying for a few hours. Then this person started ringing me – in total I had 6 phone calls in 2 minutes – from a number I didn’t know. I chose to screen the calls and it wasn’t until the 6th call that he even bothered to leave an answerphone message (which also confirmed he had traced my address too). Needless to say, this person will never get anything from me. It is totally unacceptable for anyone to hunt for phone numbers and addresses of people who are offering things for free. I have reported these actions to my local groups owners but unfortunately it does leave a bitter taste to know people are doing things like that.