I was on the Hexham Estate yesterday, looking at the ongoing fly tipping problem. One of the disheartening things about it is that much of the stuff thrown away as "useless" is actually perfectly fine - it just is no longer needed by its owners. TVs, fridges, furniture, all going to waste.
Thrown onto the grass, or left in stairwells, it's just so much junk, but if there was a way of getting unwanted goods to people who need them, that would be great wouldn't it? Well, in Lib Dem controlled Liverpool, there is! Step forward Bulky Bob's, who will collect bulky household items for free and, where possible, pass them onto new users. Not only good for the environment, but good for the pocket - I understand the service does pretty well in covering its cost.
We advocate a similar scheme for Reading which, given its compact nature (transport costs are always important) would be especially suited for it.
What about Freecycle? A similar scheme.
http://www.freecycle.org/group/UK/South%20East/Reading
Posted by: Martin | May 01, 2008 at 11:32 PM
Freecycle is a fine scheme, used by alot of Liberal Democrats - perhaps not always suited, though, for people who don't have access to the Internet.
It's also true that many people don't want to be part of a network just to get rid of their sofa.
Nevertheless a fine scheme.
Posted by: Kirsten | May 03, 2008 at 12:13 AM