Many people turning to skips or sites such as Freecycle in a bid to save money and help the planet
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so goes the saying. That is certainly evident through the rise of exchanges on platforms such as Olio, Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor, where people happily take their neighbours’ unwanted goods off their hands. Sometimes items are new or as good as new; sometimes they are a piece of furniture to upcycle and breathe new life into.
From saving money to helping the planet, many people turn to volunteer-run online communities focused on goods that would otherwise go to landfill, rather than head to Ikea. Searches for the term “Freecycle” have increased 22% from July 2018 to July 2021, while the number of people Googling “where can I find free stuff?” shot up 800% over the same period, according to the data provider SEMrush. Some scour skips, the streets, and ask around in their community for free stuff – all ways of consuming without spending a penny.
