Until two years ago, Stow man Neil Fox had never heard of Freecycle. But leafing through a climbing magazine, he suddenly discovered a great new source of free kit:
'The article was about the cost of climbing / walking equipment and clothing,' he explains. 'Two writers for the magazine had to equip themselves for a day on the hills, from scratch. One was given a budget and was allowed to buy brand items from regular retail outlets. The other was to buy the cheapest items available, and where possible, get them for free.'
Neil was amazed by the amount of stuff to be had for free, if you looked hard enough. 'I was particularly impressed by the North Face fleece and trousers the guy found on his Freecycle Group.'
With hobbies including Monroe bagging and sea fishing, and three children in tow, the 42-year-old fencer realised the great potential of freecycling. But as yet, there was no group in the Borders.
'One thing led to another and I soon found myself signing up to start a group for the Central Borders. The group went live on 6th April 2007, but was initiated eight months before that.
That's because I had to be approved by Freecycle as a Group Moderator, and make sure the geographics, logistics and dynamics of our proposed group met the criteria set out by Freecycle.'
The central Borders Freecycle Group now has over 270 members and is growing steadily. Neil is currently collecting statistical data, just to see how much stuff can be diverted from landfill. This will eventually be forwarded to the recycle team at SBC, who have expressed an interest in the Group.
So how does it work? Basically, you head for the website, sign up and then can either browse through what's on offer, post your own unwanted items, or subscribe to a daily digest of postings. If something catches your eye, you contact the other member via Freecycle and arrange pickup at your convenience. The service is free and Freecycle is a not-for-profit organisation.
What sort of things can you find on Freecycle? Pretty much anything - someone in Galashiels is offering a couple of colour printers and computer monitors, in Lauder you can pick up an electric sewing machine, and a child's BMX bike is going spare in Jedburgh. And on the 'wanted' side, there's everything from mattresses to dog guards to curtains. Neil is pleased about how enthusiastically Borderers have embraced Freecycling: 'I consider every item diverted from landfill to be a success of its own.'
For more information, visit the Freecycle site, Borders Freecycle Group, or the Borders Freecycle Discussion Forum, which promotes topical discussion between members.
The central Borders Freecycle Group now has over 270 members and is growing steadily. Neil is currently collecting statistical data, just to see how much stuff can be diverted from landfill. This will eventually be forwarded to the recycle team at SBC, who have expressed an interest in the Group.
So how does it work? Basically, you head for the website, sign up and then can either browse through what's on offer, post your own unwanted items, or subscribe to a daily digest of postings. If something catches your eye, you contact the other member via Freecycle and arrange pickup at your convenience. The service is free and Freecycle is a not-for-profit organisation.
What sort of things can you find on Freecycle? Pretty much anything - someone in Galashiels is offering a couple of colour printers and computer monitors, in Lauder you can pick up an electric sewing machine, and a child's BMX bike is going spare in Jedburgh. And on the 'wanted' side, there's everything from mattresses to dog guards to curtains. Neil is pleased about how enthusiastically Borderers have embraced Freecycling: 'I consider every item diverted from landfill to be a success of its own.'
For more information, visit the Freecycle site, Borders Freecycle Group, or the Borders Freecycle Discussion Forum, which promotes topical discussion between members.
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