Esther Reeves

esther.reeves@gmail.com

What are we?

• Network of locally based on-line re-use groups• Local volunteer run• National organisation to support local groups• Accessible by a variety of interfaces• All items must be given away for free• 330 groups & 1.27 million members in UK

Local History

• 2004 - Leamington groups starts • 2005 - Rugby and Coventry start• 2006 - Solihull group starts• 2009 - Freegle formed• 2010 - Kenilworth and North Warwickshire start

Why it works

• Easy to use

• Puts you in contact with people you wouldn’t otherwise know

• All items are local not spread geographically

• Feel good factor

Challenges

• Slow down in group growth

• More competition

• Yahoo Groups old fashioned and clunky

• Limited volunteer time at national level

Moving forward

• New ways of using Freegle• More tools for moderators• Social Networking• Give and Take days• Working with councils and others

Finalist in the Climate Week Awards

Spring into Re-use

Freegle Interfaces

• Freegle Direct• Facebook app• Email• Yahoo Website• Twitter• Plans for phone app

How to find a grouphttp://www.ilovefreegle.org/groups/

Freegle Direct

Freegle Direct

Top 10 Give-aways

1. TVs2. Computers3. Hi-fi4. Small electrical goods 5. Bicycles6. White goods (microwaves, fridges, freezers, cookers)7. Furniture including beds, wardrobes, sofas8. Baby and children's toys, books, and prams, stair gates

etc9. DIY (doors, sinks, taps, tiles, bits of carpet, bricks,

hardcore)10.Gardening equipment, top soil, turf, sheds

Impact on landfill

• A typical online reuse group with 5,000 members will save around 21,000 items from landfill each year – nearly 200 metric tonnes.

Online Reuse Week

• Spring 2012 proposed pilot

• News releases + feature artcles

• Roadshow events + workshops

• Online + Social Media activity

• Corporate Community Involvement – BiTC

• Scale-able and replicable