28 Sep 2023
If you’re considering decluttering your home but would rather be doing something altogether more exciting then there are thousands of local people who are ready and waiting to take your unwanted belongings out of your hands and give them to people in need.
Facebook group The St Albans & Harpenden Reuse Project has more than 16,000 members who are happy to reduce refuse by reusing, repurposing and recycling things that the everyday folk leave behind. Actually that’s the Wombles, but the sentiment is the same!
Founder Sonia Varadi set up the group in 2019 after seeing a similar idea in Hitchin: “Having grown up and lived in St Albans until a few years ago I knew it could work amazingly well there with all the local connections and amazing community.
“We are just a facilitator to keep things moving around between us, but it does save families a lot of money and also saves costs when house clearing after a person has passed away or is moving abroad.”
Some of the unusual items listed on the page include a tractor tyre, a giant wooden giraffe, judo belts woven into a basket, a Magic 8 ball, dog cages, a pond, vintage tea sets, a rocking horse, a huge cardboard pirate ship, a vintage commode, a caravan, giant cardboard celebrities, an adult mermaid costume, feather boas, a penis egg mold, frog spawn, a loft ladder, and a full-size boat.
With just three admins running the page, there is an awareness that they are often dealing with people in need and cannot be judgmental in any way, while also respecting confidentiality when required.
“It’s a very time consuming role – you have to be reactive and keep a close eye on things. We have hundreds of posts every day which we have to check over as well as member requests which we do vet.
“We are lucky in that most people do stick to the rules and mostly it runs very smoothly, which reflects how much they value the group.
“We have some basic rules about only taking five items per week and try to encourage people to turn up. Rarely do we ban anyone or remove them and if we do it’s not something we do lightly. We are lucky that we have such lovely members who are like-minded in wanting to help others by passing on their unneeded items. The good thing about it is that if they ever needed anything, they just have to ask and 99/100 times someone will have whatever they need!”
The group has members who work in care homes, children’s homes, mental health homes, domestic violence refuges and animal charities who are able to ask for items to help those they are looking after.
They also supported a large Chinese community who relocated from Hong Kong due to the ongoing troubles and needed to set up homes, and have provided for Ukrainian refugees coming to the district.
Sonia added: “It’s quicker than going to the shops! We have a fantastic reach into the community and most members find us by being recommended by friends or family.
“We would really like to encourage the community of St Albans to drastically reduce what they are sending to the tip and join us to rehome their goods to others in need.”
Find out more by joining the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/stalbansreuseproject/
