GEORGE NEWS - In less than six years, the local Facebook group George Freecycle has grown to 5 600 members. And with an average of 15 posts daily, the group helps many members of the community.
The premise of the group is to reduce wasteful consumption. By offering what you don't need to others, you are making sure things don't lie around unused.
"I started George Freecycle in October 2015 and it has been growing since," says group admin Kim Ashleigh Engelbrecht.
"I started the group after experiencing a similar group when I lived in Cape Town, and with our motto "One man's junk is another man's treasure", we have helped many people get rid of unwanted goods and gave others the chance to receive goods they wouldn't be able to purchase."
The rules of the group are simple. No money may exchange hands. When you receive something off the group, you have to give back to keep the cycle going. Members are welcome to request items.
But this is not the end.
"When Covid hit, another member of the group, Antoinette Stapelberg, contacted me with an awesome idea of starting a food swap group. There where so many requests on Freecycle for food, that we decided to start George Food Swop," says Engelbrecht. This group functions on the same concept as Freecycle, but it's a swap group. You can swap any unwanted items for food. Food Swop has grown to 1 800 members and gets up to 10 new posts a day.
For more information, or to join the groups, phone Engelbrecht on 071 877 6565, or find George Freecycle and George Food Swop on Facebook.
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