Trowiemonster Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 ok, this isn't strictly 'news' as it doesn't exist yet... but it would make really good news! http://www.freecycle.org I looked into starting one o these for Shetland some time ago, but you need to be permanently resident in the location which you are starting it for (I'm not). But maybe Shetland has it's own scheme which I'm no aware o? It's amazing the stuff you can pick up once it gets going Even if it's stuff you think no one would ever want - maybe someone else could put it to good use, or would like to chop it up or melt it doon intae something new... P.S. Any old lamp shades and bases would be gladly accepted by me [mod]Threads merged; this was originally titled "Why does Shetland not have a Freecycle group yet?"[/mod] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 This is pretty much how most Shetlanders lived pre-1970's when there wasn't so much affluence, they had to. Whoever had something, if it was still in the remotest usuable in any size shape form or incarnation could, and did find someone very willing to take it off their hands. It's an excellent concept, but I would wonder just how well it would be supported in Shetland in the here and now, a significant percentage of the population seems to feel a stigma towards acquiring second hand goods, just try selling used items locally, even at a give-a-way "token" charge, and it is as plain as day to see. I'm not sure why, but I would imagine it's a status thing, plus no doubt some would see accepting a free item as some form of "charity", which no doubt envokes "pride" issues. There is also a portion of the population who are too lazy to get in to something like this, "it's no wirt da budder whin you can just pit it t' da essy kert or skip an be dun we it" people, plus another portion who would rather inflict damage on whatever they are disposing off to make it unusable, so as "nae idder begger is gyaan t' git ony gud oota what we're peyed fuhr". Shetland used to be a recyclers dream with the amount of stuff folk gave away, or sold for a nominal charge to others, plus the other materials folks scranned from the many small local dumps, the main dump, and latterly skips. Small local dumps have all but vanished thanks to the likes of the work of the Amenity Trust, not strictly there fault of course, the amount and nature of materials going in them in late years combined with the lack to interest by scranners made it almost inevitable. Skips, by their very nature are not helpful to scranning, and the ever tightening regs of what you're "allowed" to put in them, and the procedures in place at the final disposal end for them, just excarbates a scranners difficulties. I appreciate the regs and procedures were envoked to protect the enviornment, one way or another, and that can only be good, but their unwanted?? side effect has been to all but eliminate the activities of scranners who had been working away quietly recycling for generations doing, quite successfully a significnt percentage of the work the powers that be now seem to think they can do better, and which has to be burdened down with regulations to make it so. Had the powers that be decided to work with those who were already scranning and recycling, instead of alienating them and freezing them out, they would have had a ready made and enthusistic group of people who shared their vision, but that battle is long since lost, scranners now operate despite the powers that be and their regulations, and have a very jaundiced view of "official" recycling efforts and iniatitives. I'll get aff ih me scranned sopbox noo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Looked at this some time ago. Seems a great idea and I have looked at existing groups which survive with few members and in rural areas. We just need someone to start and moderate the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mag Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 This is a really good idea. I suppose our charity shops do something like this, while charging a small amount for charity for each item. But there is still tons of excellent usable "bruck" that goes on skips every day. If it really took off, then moderating the site could become very time consuming. Are the moderators ever paid for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 This is a really good idea. I suppose our charity shops do something like this, while charging a small amount for charity for each item. But there is still tons of excellent usable "bruck" that goes on skips every day. If it really took off, then moderating the site could become very time consuming. Are the moderators ever paid for this? Ok two answers........charity shops are not allowed to sell certain items such as prams and electrical goods.......health and safety regulations. And they have no room for furniture. Moderators are not paid.......certainly the groups that I have seen are run as Yahoo groups and that does not involve too much work. I suspect that people trying to sell goods is the main problem. Freecycle means free although I guess a reasonable delivery charge would be ok where delivery was possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 I missed something. Shetland Scrapstore.......they collect unwanted goods, do them up if needed and then sell them. Part of COPE and run by Vic Thomas. If anyone wants to give Freecycle a go it might be polite to get Vic's views first although the existence of the Shetland Scrapstore need not stop us having a Freecycle group as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mag Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Thanks Justme. If the moderating isn't too time consuming maybe someone local could be tempted to take it on. Most charity shops are given far more items than they can sell. I support charity shops by buying from them whenever I can (and the Whalsay one has a great furniture department!) But it takes ages to trawl around them all looking for a specific item, so I often buy from ebay instead. The advantage of freecycle over the existing local recycling shops would be the ease of searching for a specific item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Essentially the Buy and Sell section of this forum could act as a "Freecycle" area .. or we could expand on it to become that should there be enough interest? Out to you the community ... whats your take on this? trout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Essentially the Buy and Sell section of this forum could act as a "Freecycle" area .. or we could expand on it to become that should there be enough interest? Out to you the community ... whats your take on this? trout The Buy and Sell forum could well be expanded to include "free to good home" and "Freebies wanted" sections. Where a "Freecycle" group scores is that the local groups are part of an international Freecycle movement and a Shetland group would show up in their directory which Shetlink would not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 I'm not sure what great advantage would be gained by being a member of a global organisation, in the initial stages at least. A "Freebie" section on the "Buy & Sell" Board is a logical progression, consider it a testing ground, if it proves successful a linked full blown group could be created if desired, and if it doesn't take off the section on "Buy & Sell" can be removed and life goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 I'm not sure what great advantage would be gained by being a member of a global organisation, in the initial stages at least. A "Freebie" section on the "Buy & Sell" Board is a logical progression, consider it a testing ground, if it proves successful a linked full blown group could be created if desired, and if it doesn't take off the section on "Buy & Sell" can be removed and life goes on. The advantage would be that people living here who know of Freecycle and not of Shetlink could easily check if there was a local Freecycle group. After all the Shetlink membership list while being impressive at 757 users may well not be reaching people that Freecycle could. Having said that I see no reason why Shetlink should not try a freebies section and indeed why Shetlink freebies and Freecycle should not run at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMouth Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 I have looked at this a number of times. Things against me starting anything up were my non-sheltie status (another incomer trying to change things syndrome!), the fact that there is already a lot of this going on already, Vic Thomas was mentiontioned earlier, the potential costs and time. There is always room to try to recycle a bit more though and being one of those who would be considered a "deprived person" in the SIC's Deprivation and Social Exclusion report, I would probably be able to benefit more than others from a receiving point of view. Ghostrider hit the nail on the head as usual when he mentioned pride. I have previously been offered free furniture when I move into a new place and have refused the offer. The thought of the Scrapstore van turning up in my new neighbourhood unloading other people's cast-offs stigmatises me from the start. I know that I shouldn't think like that. I know that I should be grateful, but the fact that I can't afford to buy this stuff new does grate a bit. People being reminded from whence they came is an all too common occurence here. The big difference is probably that although I have little to speak of I have absolutely no debt. I think that space on here to offload freebies is a great idea. Giving and accepting from fellow Shetlinkers certainly seems more acceptable to me. It is certainly surprising how often an item that I was going to in or give to the charity shop suddenly has the chance of a new lease of life. I had an old Mini Disc player that is about to be recycled into a dictaphone for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 From the Freecycle website they state that: It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Is the Freecycle movement, for want of a better word, actively recycling between groups in different areas, towns, and cities? This information I wasn't able to ascertain. If they were, then to have a section on their website would likely be a must so as to pull people from further afield into the process? I have actually gone as far as to query further information from them regarding this and for information regarding the whole concept. They do state that to join you should create a Yahoo Group - this is for all intent purposes nothing more than a forum section to which you are given permission to join. So several things there. In the first instance, would apart from the fact that Freecycle is an established "organisation" - and as JustMe points out people are possibly more aware of this fact - with marketing in Shetland from those directly involved in the concept could it then not work just as a forum section? A Yahoo group: a forum section mailing users after every entry if set as so, "really" has to have active moderators ensuring that nothing untoward is going on. *sigh* and it's not a grand job! Unpaid .... time consuming ... etc. etc. "talking from experience ... :roll:" ... ... so to expand on the "Buy and Sell" section, as a tester persay as noted by Ghostrider, could this give anyone interested in pursuing a "Freecycle" concept in Shetland the opportunity to do so within an established online community? Probably is my short answer. Not guaranteed, no, but probably! This board has the ability to give a user in such a section "community" moderator status for them to look after that section with the four of us "bits of furniture" as backup for any issues arising. Anyway, this is all hearsay and conjecture at the moment that I am sharing with you, basically as a means to gain a better understanding in the concept, to garner peoples impressions, and to get a feel for potential demand should anyone wish to take the gauntlet? trout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Just thinking about practical points. Assuming for the moment, that recycling between different areas is part of the overall concept. How useful is is that approach to Shetland? The limitations of our geographical position makes me question if such a concept can realistically expect much if any recycling to occur with someone located off the isles. By it's very nature items people are willing to give away gratis are low value and /or expensive to transport, and in reverse folk are only going to be willing to pay a very modest charge and/or go to minimal trouble to have a low value item transported to them. I'd be inclined to see virtually all exchanges occuring within Shetland due to those factors, so almost all of the benefits of belonging to the larger organisation in that sphere are largely denied us due to circumstances. I'll readily admit that I'm just spectulating here, so if anyone can prove me wrong, just holler. Likewise, how well is Freecycle known nationally or locally? Personally I'd never heard of them before seeing this post, but that doesn't count for much seeing as I neither watch TV or buy newspapers, so unless I hear of it in conversation or stumble over a mention online I'd miss it. I don't doubt there are a number of people in Shetland who are familar with Freecycle, but have not heard of Shetlink (Perish the thought ), but are we really talking about numbers that will make a noticable difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 So does anyone else have any opinions on the viability of giving away "scran" through an Internet medium such as a Shetlink forum? Does anyone wish to actively become involved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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