RE:USE 'EXCHANGE' SITES

Got something that's too good for the skip but not going to get a bean on eBay? And at last has filled the last iota of space in the loft? Give it away! What you need is a nice e-way to do it.

There are LOTS. And as most, if not all, are free, I think it's worth giving 'em all a go.

So, in no particular order (well...):

Junkk.com's JunkkYard - a bit buried away, but does have some nice features. As you need to be registered, and that involved your postcode, it will tell you how far away 'it' is. Which can be handy. And you can select the radius of how far you want to travel.

2 recycle.co.uk - to be reviewed
Bigwardrobe.com - clothes related - to be reviewed
craigslist - has a free section
Note (US-based): http://videos.komando.com/watch/8528/komando-com-reports-3-sites-better-than-craigslist-to-buy-and-sell-items?
ecofreek - (US based) - NEW - to be reviewed
efreeko.co.uk - to be reviewed
flog.co.uk - to be reviewed
freebay.co.uk - to be reviewed
freecycle.com - Or .org. The Daddy of us all. You'll have to burrow a bit to get 'your' area.
freegle.org - A freecycle spin-off - all a bit political, mind
Guardian - The top 10 swap websites - If they say so
GreencycleSussex -
letslinkuk.net - to be reviewed - barter of services
Times - Online swap shop Freecycle booms as middle class feels squeeze
Times - Freecycle: the big green giveaway
Times - Something for nothing - they are keen at the Thunderer!
fridgemountain.com - to be reviewed. I'd guessed that it's fridges, but as I'd hoped there is now some feedback to say that it does more.
Furniture Reuse Network -
gigoit.org - to be reviewed. Great name!
giveortake.org - to be reviewed
greenhomeshop.co.uk - to be reviewed
gumtree - to be reviewed
hitflip.co.uk - to be reviewed
iflyerz.com - to be reviewed
musicmagpie.co.uk - Music to my ears... they pay. All things CD & R.
rag-and-bone.co.uk - to be reviewed
recycle.co.uk - to be reviewed
recycle4free.com - to be reviewed
rehomeyourstuff.co.uk - to be reviewed
reuze.co.uk - to be reviewed
snaffleup.co.uk - to be reviewed - Hat tip: Dave of Solarventi
swishing.org - to be reviewed
vskips -
whatsmineisyours - to be reviewed

Not Free

bytestart.co.uk - to be reviewed
cashgenerator.co.uk - to be reviewed
cex.co.uk - to be reviewed
gazelle.com - US-based (we do get readers there)
eBay - to be reviewed.. like I need to!
snaffleup.co.uk - to be reviewed
stuffusell.co.uk - to be reviewed

Swap

bigwardrobe.com - to be reviewed
https://www.bozowi.co.uk - to be reviewed
iswap -
oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com - to be reviewed
readitswapit.co.uk - to be reviewed - books
seedypeople.co.uk - to be reviewed - Gardening focus
staffshare.co.uk - to be reviewed - staff time!
swapcorner - to be reviewed
swapcycle.co.uk - to be reviewed
swapandplay - More IT
swapshop - to be reviewed
swapitshop.com - to be reviewed
swaptree.com -
swapxchange.org - to be reviewed
swopex.com - to be reviewed
swapz.co.uk - to be reviewed
u-exchange.com - to be reviewed - houses

Borrow

neighborrow.com - to be reviewed. It's US-based, but hey, it may catch on

Charities (who will take stuff, often quitebig)

Oxfam -

There'll be more. And I'll add 'em when I find 'em.

Or you could tell me about them too. Many are 'too be reviewed'. If you know something, good or bad, add to the comments and that'll prompt me to check and highlight.

Articles - Junkk - Hat tip Ecologist - What went wrong with Freecycle in the UK?

Guardian -  Fed up with Freecycle? Try these top 10 alternatives - One person's top 10 is another's grist to a growing mill. One day I'll add any in the lists to make my list bigger:)

Guardian -  Accusations of very tight control split UK recycling network from US parent - Blimey, who would have imagined a free reuse initiative could end up so 'political'. Good job Junkk is benign... {Homer growl} for now:) Actually, as JunkkYard is pretty much left up to the users, I'd be hard pressed to figure how I'd influence anything. Maybe I should, as it is kinda languishing.

But it seems some just can't resist trying to 'take control', and that is not my style.

Medical Product-related (A new category)

http://intercare.org.uk/

http://uk.gsk.com/en-gb/responsibility/our-planet/complete-the-cycle

SITE REVIEW - disposalknowhow.co.uk

Been a smidge lax of late on the blog.

So it's nice to be given a nice reason to post by nice folk.

Especially on that ever-so-worthwhile mutual back-scratching basis.

Stumbled across this recycling info site on twitter: http://www.disposalknowhow.co.uk/

And was happy to invite them onto the site.

They kindly have reciprocated.

Now I have had a chance to have a quick browse, and it's a nice little resource for anyone wishing to stay abreast of recycling issues and resources, but some other interesting stuff too.

Saw this and thought of our famous Vac:Sac, but more a case of great complements!

Worth a visit every so often!

And a very, merry Xmas to you!

http://fauxfire.com/

Relatively few GHG emissions, too:)

PR COVERAGE - Fast, moving, consumer-related.. and good

Always nice to be noticed.

Even better to be appreciated.

Top cherry to be thought amongst the best.

Junkk.com has been featured in this month's FMCG magazine 'Website spotlight'.

Which is nice.

Not too sure on the value as, so far, the phone has not be ringing off the hook. Early days?

Folk in this industry are pretty time poor, and I've only just found it after it hit the in-tray a few days ago.

Plus I can't help but notice on behalf of RE:tie a tamper evident packaging outfit just down the road. Reaches next for phone...

Site RE:view - whatdoidowiththis.com

Unashamed mutual back-scratching, but that's what makes the world go around:)

Not only do the nice folk at whatdoidowiththis.com like what Junkk.com is up to, they have popped themselves on our diRE:ctory (which, rather disconcertingly, seems to have lost its alphabetical search function and only works on 'All', at least on my browser. Another day; another gremlin to hut), which gets folk noticed by us, often in a good way (like blog posts, newsletter mentions, etc).

Seems safe to say that their focus is more the trade, though straying into the realms of the concerned amateur DIY type (like me).

A very simple, clean, 'does what it says on the URL' layout (unlike Junkk.com ... I'm on it... er... eventually).

It's dominated by the 'search' function, but this seems to work about as well as Junkk's. I deliberately mistyped plasterbaord, which threw it. Mind you, plasterboard did too, so to be fair it's hard to find what may not be in there....yet.

Probably explained by the fact that that, having opted to go via the clear category options, Partitioning didn't have an entry. It's a growing site, then.

Flooring, by example, is much better populated.

The site bills itself as setting out to help one recycle paint and building materials, but TBH it seems more a source OF materials to assist with renovation, often via reused materials retailers and/or contractors. I think the 'you' in this case is not the consumer, but more the folk o have stuff they want to pass on.

The format appears to be driven by paid classifieds, so bear in mind what you see and how you are getting it.

A new day, a new website

Waste

I'll share it, despite it still seeming to think Freecycle is the only swap site in town and Direct.gov knowing all about (and kindly promoting if not in the best section) reuse and Junkk.com's role for years. Lord knows how much will be ploughed into 'promoting' this one.

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs - E&EO

WE NEED TO RETHINK THE THREE R’S – BENN LAUNCHES NEW WASTE CAMPAIGN

We are all being urged to rethink our approach to waste, in a new campaign launched by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) today.

The new campaign, part of the Government’s Act On CO2 campaign, looks at everything from food waste to furniture recycling and encourages consumers to ‘Remember. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.’

A new website offering tips and advice to consumers on making better use of the things we all too often put straight in the bin or take to the dump, also launches today at www.direct.gov.uk/waste.

Research published recently by Defra showed that an additional 500,000 tonnes of household waste could be saved from landfill by doing more to reuse it or find another home for it. And if every household in the EU recycled one electrical or electronic item such as a mobile phone or iPod, 73,000 tonnes could be diverted from landfill – the same as 9,500 round the world flights.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said:

“I set out recently what the Government will do to help the country on its path to becoming a zero waste nation. Making better use of everything around us will really help us to tackle the impact our waste has on climate change, and save us money too. That’s why our campaign is encouraging everyone to rethink what they might think of as ‘waste’ and ‘recycling’ – we can all do things like put our old sofa on Freecycle rather than taking it to the dump, or recycle our old mobile if we get a new one.”

Yet another Government Website ......

..... on, you've guessed it, climate change.

This new section on DEFRA's website is all about 'Adapting to climate change'.

OK, so what does it tell us? Well, at first glance, it would seem very little that any of the other Gov. developed websites devoted to what they are doing (I couldn't resist a little snigger then) about climate change.

All the links appear to be to existing Gov. website sources already devoted to, errrr, climate change. All the usual suspects, 'Office of climate change', 'Energy savings trust', 'UKCIP', 'ActOnCO2', the new climate change bill etc. But very little new.

I can't help pondering that our Gov's entire raison d'etre here is to be seen to be doing something, whilst actually doing, well, very little. ("Yes, minister, we've put online another fantastic website for the public to access loads of information from").

And what was the cost of this latest 'joining up the web-links' site? Not provided. But you would be forgiven for guessing that it has cost at least a few tens of thousands of pounds.

Oh, sorry, it is a Gov. sponsored website extension. So let's make that a few hundreds of thousands of pounds shall we? Plus how many additional civil servants with ring-fenced gold plated pensions to administer?

Well worth it ...... not!

New NASA Climate Change Website

NASA has launched a new climate change website - see NASA Website.

The site provides a plethora of data, including some quite scary time series flash animations (click on the Climate Time Machine tag), plus loads of very considered but reasonably concise documentation.

Well worth a visit.

Sites unseen, heard... or accounted for

UK government websites out of control

Report...the Government is not sure exactly how many websites it has, but believes there could be as many as 2,500. Nor does it know how much these websites cost or if anyone is using them.

Does this include quangos? I'm guessing not as they don't have the suffixes indicated. Yet they, and their comms budgets, still drain the public purse, do they not?
It's certainly not easy, especially when there are those who serve more niche social areas that may well be worth supporting... way up to those that really feed a major information interest and could be nice little earners if commercial.
Hence ROIs must be hard to judge, but I think the public deserves better in being able to assess them, from what they do, for whom, with what, at what cost... and to what effect.
Otherwise many seem no more than conveniently vague and unaccountable ways to employ lots of folk at best keeping them busy... or less nobly pushing agendas.
I recently had an emailing from one eco-effort, that seems to have been set up with a massive wadge of wonga with many noisy bells and confusing whistles, staffed by all manner of nifty titled folk, claiming a monthly visitorship of '50,000 hits'. Now I know what the average Reg reader can carry in a fingernail about IT and the web, but this doesn't sound like the best way to share such info, and even if it was doesn't sound like a lot.
And let's not forget, when thinking of bigger (and possibly 'better') sites such as http://www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2/ or recyclenow.com, you are also talking massive ad budgets in support to drive traffic.
It would be great to really challenge these in the same way those not so blessed by 'more benign' funding models are, yet can find themselves competed with for audience... often unfairly. I certainly have experience of going to one quango for help in an area their remit required, only to be rejected but then find what I pitched got cranked out subsequently as part of their offering.
Yet private sites often are much better in delivering public information at much better value, especially by not being constrained by the dead hand of public service agenda, committee mentality and ministerial oversight. You just have to start with some URLs to see how they have not exactly got what it takes to push the buttons of a public used to pretty exciting and entertaining fare.
I find it amazing those we do have to pay for seem to have no way currently of judging their performance and/or worth.

Taking the Pulse

I just stumbled across a thing in the Telegraph called Earth Pulse.

To early to say how good it is, but it looks useful and fun at least.

It does quite a lot, but you need to roll over things and click away to get them.

A neat addition to the info armoury I'd say.

Waste... of food, that is

Well, it's here, as promised: Food Waste is Environmental Sleeping Giant Says WRAP

And as it is so significant, putting plastic bags and 4x4s, etc, into the shade, enviROI-wise, I will try and make the most of it on the site. And even here.

However, this is my blog, and I must get a few points off my chest first.

'A new Government backed campaign that reveals...' - unless I missed it in all the blurb I'll have to await seeing it. But the word 'campaign' fills me with dread already. How much? saying What? To whom? With what intention? Measures? And hence what hope of conversion for the money? The word 'reveals' fills me also with foreboding that what we will get is 90% scraping stuff into the bin and, possibly, 10% some celeb (free or funded?) saying 'don't do that' and then the Daily Mail finding what's in their restaurant skip the week after.

"... for every three bags of shopping we bring home, we effectively put one straight in the bin.' This IS staggering. I just hope the way it gets put across is designed to actually move folk to reduce it to zero.

In addition to press advertising and a supporting PR campaign that features celebrity chefs, home economists and well known personalities, the Love Food Hate Waste campaign features a website (How much to create? And run? And promote? And what bonusses paid on hits?unique visitors?) which gives advice, ideas on preparation, storage, portioning and recipes. - I've been to it. Are you as inspired as I am?

Key findings of our recent research on the nature, scale and causes of household food waste can be found here - worth a gander, for sure.

Indy Letters - Worth sharing (well, or not... you know what I mean)

With the usual sound of banging stable doors, after the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, Defra forbade the use of waste food for feeding to pigs. Traditionally ,of course, the cottager's pig had been fed in this way (and then recycled completely except for its squeak) and commercial herds had been supplied by army canteens and the like.

Not now. If I feed so much as a stale crust or a faded cabbage leaf from my kitchen to my pigs I am liable to be thrown in jail for two years. So into landfill, or maybe in some enlightened circles into compost, waste food must go – and there always will be some waste.

Of course the animal feed manufacturers have benefited hugely from this diktat. The organic pig nuts I buy have soared in price and are likely to go on doing so as the price of grain rises irrevocably. I think the public will soon begin to notice that cheap bacon butties and Philip Hensher's £3 chicken are things of the past. Which is probably good, but doesn't solve the landfill problem unless councils are able to set up composting facilities for all biological waste.

ADDENDUM - Well, I was wrong. No plate scrapings. And I like the line. However, and I simply ask as I think I may be too close as an enviro guy and an ad man, do these immediately make you want to stop wasting as you have been for the last X years? Shoo-ins for next year's Green Awards, though. I am... saddened.

As reported in the Indy : Britain's colossal food waste is stoking climate change

Well, any 'waste' is, by definition, adding to the processes that can possibly/probably cause climate change, so OK. This is the latest 'topic du jour'. And it's important.

So... does this sell it to you... 'Britons must swap their wasteful habits ... shoppers were warned yesterday'?

I was well on board by the second line. No, really.

If 'Most waste arose because people had "over-shopped" as a result of not planning; because they failed to keep their fridge cold enough, allowing food to go off; or because food had passed its "best by" date. ', then surely we need to inject ideas and effort into dealing with these facts and issues. A crying tomato doesn't do that, sorry.

And, while telling and true, tackling the consumer is not going to address "buy one get one free" deals in supermarkets.

And I am stumped as to how this campaign can address the habits of those with fluid work and social patterns. This 50 year-old homeworker works 6 -7 daily to make ends meet, as does his wife. We don't have much time to faff about. But at least I am in the house at lunch to deal with last night's leftovers. I'd say few others are. Plus I have the motivation. I'd say few others have. There are certain realities of a 24/7, stressed and oppressed society, and no amount of 'slots' on a cooking show (it's already smacking of a green special in the fashion rags) is going to change the facts of our leife demands.

You can't make people eat something without first making it seem tasty. And that applies to ads as much as food.

Indy - Our throwaway culture

The food and supermarket industries need to reform their practices. They should cease using spurious "best before" dates that are designed to encourage people to waste edible food. - This I didn't know. I thought it was legislation/litigation drive. If not, it should be stopped.

The Government should be treating this issue with a little more urgency too. Hahahahahahaha. Love that word 'should'.

Joan Bakewell: What a waste! Why can't we all be more thrifty...

Bless.

And what is 'the Waste Reduction Agency'?

She's right of course.

What we need is a good example – in modern jargon "best practice". If we are to take the trouble to turn off electrical switches in our homes, what about those towering city offices that burn with lights throughout the night, even though the workers have long gone home? What about shops windows in every city centre blazing away at times when only a few lingering souls are about to see them?

Plus many, many more. Good examples, that is. Not payroll/pension parasites ticking another comms budget box.

Otherwise we're just tinkering round the edges.

Quite.

Telegraph - Where's the cream?

No leftovers then?

I just ask, because 'we' are getting a multi-lord-alone-knows how much ad/PR/media assault, including the 'contributions' of many celebs, to advocate this in the cause of reducing food waste.

Rated about a day on Aunty's menu, I think.

Amid job cuts, BBC meals come with whine

RWM

Maybe it's all yet to come, but has anyone seen any of this after the first day flurry?

Making more Friends and influencing people

ITV to drop subscription model for Friends Reunited

OK. Now I will join. 'nuff said about online models?

Did I mention Junkk.com is free? Always has been:)

Brand Republic - Google to fight back in battle of social networks - Meanwhile....

Try googling bandwagon

Google goes green with carbon footprint project

Weeee! The more the merrier. Actually, I'm thinking of launching a web-based project that enables people to calculate which carbon calculator to use.

Hey, any info on sensible reduction is fine. However, one does have to wonder what most will make of it and hence whether the money could have been directed in areas more tangible in reducing emissions to a decent enviROI+ level.

And is this the coolest job title in the world or what: geospatial technologist. Beat my Spellcheck even.

Good luck to 'em. With their resources and pooling the info as indicated I think they may be in with a better chance than most of making a difference. Just... how many people and how much time is overlapping in this sector now?

I have already been through the horror of the ActONCo2 effort and never went back. Now, at first click/glance, I am faced by yet another truly inspirational landing page that really looks an effort.

Keeping track of business

This blog cocks a quizzical eyebrow at the activities of some in the corporate world from time to time. But it's usually case specific and subjective. So try Climate Counts too.

This website may be the place to go to get a broader analysis.

Introduced by ClimateBiz, the blurb was enough to get me to check it out:

Every week it seems like a new company -- or a slew of companies -- hops on the climate fight bandwagon: Company A goes carbon-neutral; Company B signs on to a climate-change pact. The end result is often a lot of fanfare without much follow-up: are these companies actually making concrete plans to meet their goals? And if so, what effect will it have?

So it's understandable to see the news this month that consumers don't necessarily trust companies or the government when it comes to climate change information. The whole topic -- complex, scientific, overly techy and hard to sort fact from fiction -- seems almost a perfect recipe to inspire public cynicism. Is one company's 10 percent reduction better or worse than another company's 20 percent reduction? Depending on what they're really talking about, it might be. But who really knows?

All of which makes Climate Counts, a new organization that rates companies on their climate performance, even more refreshing. By taking a clear look at how well companies are living up to their climate-change goals -- grandiose or moderate as they may be -- Climate Counts stands a chance of leveling the playing field, and creates the kinds of norms and standards we all need to understand and assess companies' climate commitment, or lack thereof. Stay tuned as we see if this tool helps companies walk their talk.

The provenenace behind it looks OK, but keep a wary eye on motivations (you know ours - we only really care about enviROI, and when it sucks, we call a spade a duck)

So when we read such as this - 'STRIDING - The best Climate Counts choice. These companies still have work to do, but they're beginning to hit their stride. Let them know you value their commitment and look forward to their continued climate leadership.' - about Coke, we do wonder.

Maybe becuase it's US-based.

Icebergs

As a free public information website, I was as equally fascinated by what was in this piece - Government urged to improve Web sites - as what was not.

First up, tell us what we don't know: they are too complex and are difficult to navigate. Well, D'uh.

The we get to the provision of information about the cost and usage of government Web sites.

I find it MIND-BOGGLING that the government spends £208 million a year (of whose money?) on its Web sites... but knows little about who access them or how they are used.

If ever there was a case to get them out of the public sector's dead hands this was it. They don't know what they're doing. They patently don't know why they're doing it. And they don't seem to care whether it works so long as it looks like they are doing something. And the heck with any ROI, which any sane business would apply to its comms efforts.

These are tools. Their only value is in being used. Not just for being there. I mentioned recently about a site that was all excited about 7,000 'hits', which a kennelcam of a dead dog rotting would exceed.

I'd also love to know what the breakdown of costs of design , build, operation and maintenance are for some, especially in the enviro-arena.

I'm betting several have 'departments' (which explains them looking like camels), all on salary with pension. Junkk.com has one bloke... so far... plus a few nice mates helping. And as and when it does need to grow, it will be funded by ads.

Which is better value?

ADDENDUM

That'll teach me. Now, when the heck will I find the time to read it?

Report
Exec summary
Another thing - 89 pages!!!!