Captain Clareways

Captain's Blog - Star Date 14/5/14

Week Two - Recycling

I'm a huge supporter of recycling, up cycling, even cycling (but only on my rainbow bike with heart seat and handlebar Pom Poms) and many a Clareways collectible has been found or foraged from someone else's rubbish.

First stop is Freecycle - for those who don't know what this is its a nationwide website designed to give people a place to post items that they don't want anymore for other people to ask for them and pick them up...wait for it...for...FREE!?!

It's unreal. It's choc full of friendly, kind souls and if you're a good Freecycler you will give away as much as you get so the goodness just keeps flowing.

Last year I was gifted a Dyson vacuum cleaner, a book binding machine, a brass up lighter, feather filled sofa seat pads, a sewing machine and a shoe rack. All in great condition from kindly folk who didn't need them anymore.

There's no excuse to throw away perfectly good items that can continue to be loved and used again and again.

The next recycling gold mine is your local tip or household waste area. Most tips these days let the guys working there save anything that looks in decent condition and put into a 'sales' area. The guys then split the profits between their team. So double bubble on the goodness scale because when you get a bonus bargain they get a bonus too! Win, win, chin, chin.

My top treasures found at the tip are; two art nouveau vases; a pair of 1960's egg chairs; a brand new john lewis cot; a full length gold wrought iron mirror; wall lights; a ten pin bowling lane (yes, really!); a wooden Victorian style towel rail.

Most things were a couple of pounds each, with the exception of the chairs which were a whole five pounds each. It's truly mega so find yours today and rescue something wonderful from the land of fill.

xxThe Captain