Community Sharing – 5 Steps to Success

January 10, 2012

Author: Trudi Holden

If you have begun 2012 in need of a big clear-out, why not make use of your old clutter and do some community sharing? As they say ‘One persons junk is another’s treasure!’

Here are 5 ways you can recycle unwanted items through community sharing:

1) Give it away
There are some great websites such as Freecycle, Gumtree, Freegle and Snaffleup, where you can advertise things for free; from books and clothes to sofas and bikes. They are usually free to post and you can request that the item is collected whenever suits you.

2) Lend it
Websites like ecomodo allow communities to lend and borrow each other’s everyday objects, skills and spaces with confidence. You can even choose to lend for free, for a fee or for charity.

Don’t forget: sharing with your neighbours is not only really helpful when in need; its also a great way of making new friends!

3) Swap It
Invite your friends and neighbours to a ‘swap it’ evening. Get them to bring things that they don’t want anymore and let the swapping commence. This works really well when you fancy a new wardrobe!

4) Give it to charity
Get your local community together and hold a local fete or charity sale while raising money in the process. Or even better, how about putting up some stalls on your Big Lunch this summer? You can can find more information on fundraising for charity at your Big Lunch here.

Tip: This is a great way to make use of any unwanted gifts from Christmas.

5) Re invent it
Some items may be a little too well used to give away, but all is not lost! Most things can be reinvented to be useful in others ways. For example old Clothes are great for Big Lunch bunting or odd or old shoes make quirky plant pots.

Our ideas pages are great for giving inspiration on transforming old clutter into fantastic Big Lunch decorations, games and entertainment!