It is always rewarding to get in-touch with others through networking. Currently, we are having some building works at our home and there always appears to be a great deal of waste produced through the building process. Some of the waste is unavoidable from the point of production, such as soil from the excavation of the foundations or broken / damaged bricks, which we encouraged to be re-used through a local Materials Recovery Facility.
However, many of the materials, such as the doors and windows, needed to be replaced but could be re-used, if only someone knew they were available – Enter Freecycle.
As I understand from their website (www. http://www.freecycle.org), the Freecycle Network is made up of 4,926 groups with 8,119,004 members around the world. It is an entirely non-profit movement of people, who give and get items for free, that would otherwise have no other use and find their way into an landfill. The membership is free and so I joined my local group in the United Kingdom.
Not only did the doors and windows go quickly but our old kitchen was snapped up and re-housed with a older couple, who could not afford to replace their kitchen to meet the needs of the husband, who had newly, become disabled due to a work related injury.
Truly, an opportunity for sustainable development on environmental, social and economic grounds. Why not give it a try yourself …
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