Selfsufficientish.com

Just got back from my Council tip. They have a shop there where you can buy stuff, from 50 pence upwards. Many things £1.

Today I got plastic dustbin with lid, lawn rake, pair of wellies, laundry basket, watering can,some largish flowerpots and also a wheelbarrow with a flat tyre to wheel it home in.

Whole lot ten quid.

I wanted a fork but a man beat me to it. Very annoying as he was buying up nearly all the tools (had two forks) so was obviously going to sell them on. I don't mind him doing them up and selling them but he was greedy.

It's enough that I have to walk home looking like Steptoe though so I drew the line at fighting him for the fork.
I did call out loudly 'Do you need both of those forks?' but he was obviously thick skinned and said yes.
Anyway I left with (some) dignity.

Fantastic, don't you just love visits to the tip, last time we went my girls came back with a skateboard each, for 50p each ...well chuffed

Well done you When we lived in Hampshire our local tip did a roaring trade selling of bits and pieces. It always amazes us what people throw away. Have you signed up for Freecycle in your area yet? You get all sorts of stuff, absolutely free, just have to pick it up.

whenever i'm down in the dumps i always get myself a new hat.

Oww...lucky you.

Our tip has a Health & Stupidity policy about these things.

I once managed to pick up a coal scuttle, but the guy who worked there made it clear that he was going in to get a coffee and if he came back and it had gone then that would be ok.

There obviously is far too much landfill space where we are!

Bonnie it was the same where I used to live (Kent). Except no sensible person in charge. I asked someone dumping a broken playpen if I could have it (for a compost bin). the man in charge told me that as dumper had already put it on the ground it was now COUNCIL PROPERTY and my taking it would be theft.

I think the refuse workers (here) get the money for beer or a christmas fund. Who cares?

I've applied to join our local freegle and think I'm in a virtual waiting room.

We're also not allowed to take stuff away from the tip, but it is privately run so they probably make money selling it. Also it is impossible to get things on Freecycle, I think people must have their computers set up to get anything and everything and again sell it on, not in the spirit of Freecycle. There have been lots of complaints about this on our local site and offerers give names where possible.

Fran I'm sure this was the case with the person who beat me to the gardening fork yesterday. He'll probably fix up the tools and sell them at the boot fair.

I was a bit cheesed off but then decided not to be because maybe this is HIS version of self sufficiency and if he can get rusty old tools back into use and out of landfill then this has to be good.

If I donated something on Freecycle though, I'd join the complainers because I'd want my donation to go to people who need it for themselves.

It really does sum up the state of the economy though where this ill feeling can build up over what is effectively rubbish. Whereas ishers would always re-use this stuff I think most people would prefer to be in a position to buy new.

Not that long ago a common complaint was that if you paid for a skip and left it outside your house people would dump their old rubbish in it during the night. Now ... chances are locals will empty it for you.
There was even a tv programme 'Do up your house for free' which promoted skip diving.

seasidegirl wrote:Not that long ago a common complaint was that if you paid for a skip and left it outside your house people would dump their old rubbish in it during the night. Now ... chances are locals will empty it for you.

That made me laugh!

your lucky here in New Zealand the tip shops have become expensive, for some reason they think that anyone who buys recycled goods must be loaded with money

Millymollymandy wrote:

seasidegirl wrote:Not that long ago a common complaint was that if you paid for a skip and left it outside your house people would dump their old rubbish in it during the night. Now ... chances are locals will empty it for you.

That made me laugh!

haha funny SeasideGirl. My mates down in Brighton skipdive for food by pizza restaurants and things, and supermarkets. My uncle in San Francisco skip dives for bread at the local bakery - actually it's fantastic bread, and the owners of the bakery are all for it not going to waste.