Limerick website a ‘suite deal’ for unwanted household items

Mike Dwane

Reporter:

Mike Dwane

A WEBSITE where members of the public can offload, acquire or swap household and other items - and prevent them ending up in landfill - has been rolled out in Limerick with an exhibition at Ormston House on Patrick Street.

A WEBSITE where members of the public can offload, acquire or swap household and other items - and prevent them ending up in landfill - has been rolled out in Limerick with an exhibition at Ormston House on Patrick Street.

Philippa King, regional waste co-ordinator, said the FreeTrade Ireland (www.freetradeireland.ie) site had proved a success in Dublin and was now being introduced in the regions.

Limerick City Council is among the local authorities contributing to the reuse scheme as a means of cutting down on waste.

“Everything you see here today, every stick of furniture or appliance is the type of item that can be posted on the FreeTrade Ireland website, all of them are available for free to reuse,” explained Sinead McDonnell, Limerick City Council.

“What we are looking for is for people to consider this as an option, firstly to post items they want to move on and, secondly, to search for items they are looking for.”

Site administrator Brenda McEvoy said that while the onus was on individuals, there were aids to help people avoid acquiring defective items.

“What we always say is to post a photo with your ad so people aren’t under any illusions about what they are getting. The photo isn’t compulsory but listing a photo makes it much easier for somebody on the other side,” she said.

“We have found that our users tend to be quite vigilant and if they see something up on the website that’s not suitable, say animals, they can go in and remove it temporarily. We then review it and if it’s suitable, we can put it back up and, if not, we take it down.”

While people looking to offload their mother-in-law will be disappointed, FreeTrade Ireland has handled everything from electronics and baby clothes; pianos and knitting machines to caravans and mobile homes.

Mayor Jim Long praised the scheme’s environmental benefits in helping “prevent people from just dumping something into a skip or, worse still, at the side of the road and decorating the countryside”.