Combat consumer ‘churn’: Freecycle, recycle and Swish it

As the old saying goes, “one man’s treasure is another man’s trash”. This couldn’t be truer than on Freecycle: an online network where members request and offer items, which are recycled around the community at no cost. An active Freecycle group covers Brighton and Hove, as well as other areas of the UK. Thanks to Freecycle, members can offer their expired household items to someone who might make good use of them, instead of using elbow grease and fuel to cart them off to the local tip. Some people are willing to drive immediately across town to collect a fridge, CRT TV or a sofa that has reached the end of its useful life in its present owner’s home. Your blender has broken? Need a microwave? Ask if anyone has a spare one instead of heading straight down to Argos.

With the ethos of “what goes around comes around”, placing items on Freecycle has a feel good factor, and also avoids the worry of how to remove a fridge or mattress if you don’t have a van. To my mind, Freecycle is the antithesis of the idea that, if your fridge breaks down (and they are built to become obsolete quickly these days), the manufacturer deems it “beyond economical repair” and you’re expected to take a new one. Think of all that plastic and the energy required to make it. I have a fridge, bought in Spain, where all the door shelves have broken, making it a pain in the proverbial bottom to use… open the door and bottles of milk and vino come cascading out at you. However, it’s not possible to buy replacement shelves, even though they would probably cost the manufacturer a few pence to make in China. The logical and rather sad conclusion is that the fridge must be replaced. This is where Freecycle has real value. We can stick a metaphorical two fingers up to the process of churn and give a decent, second-hand unit a new home.

However, it strikes me that some people have the wrong idea about Freecycle. Every so often, a new member will request a PS3, Nintendo DS, digital SLR camera or flat screen TV. You can’t blame people for trying but, really, it’s like turning up at a community barn dance and expecting someone to hand you a free glass of Bollinger champagne.

The behaviour of adults who are within grasping distance of free items is, indeed, fascinating. This brings me neatly to the ‘My Swish’ ladies’ clothes swapping parties, which take place in Brighton and Lewes at venues such as Hotel du Vin and Pelham Hotel.

‘Swishing’ – the exchanging of clothes – is a British phenomenon that started in 2000 when Lucy Shea, founder of London-based green PR firm, Futerra, and her work colleagues wanted to devise a way of indulging their love of retail therapy without contributing to increased consumption. Lucy now runs the Swishing.org website.

Taking up the mantle in Brighton, fashion-lovers Leila McKellar and Sarah Maddox started holding small swishes at their friends’ houses, before expanding into hotels and halls under the banner of ‘My Swish’ in November 2010. Says Leila: “It got to the point where people saw us as the 'swishing ladies' and we were continually being asked about the next event. We realised there was huge demand and we could run events on a much larger scale.”

So why do people like swishing? Says Leila: “First and foremost, swishing is great fun. It's sociable and there's always the possibility of sourcing a fabulous piece that you couldn't find or afford in the shops. For some women, money-saving is a big incentive; for others, it's all about recycling and reducing their carbon footprint. Most of all, though, our customers just seem to love clothes and welcome the chance to clear out items they don't wear anymore and replace them with new ones.”

At a My Swish event, ladies bring a bag of up to 15 unwanted garments, and each one is rated with points ranging from 10 to 50 (or more at a designer swish). The lady is handed a ticket showing her total number of points and everybody’s clothes are placed on rails in a large room. When the bell rings (metaphorically), the ladies rush in and grab garments that take their fancy. Yours truly has been to three My Swish parties and, although I’ve by no means exhausted this new ‘addiction’, I can’t help being reminded of an adult version of ‘Grab Snap’. At one particular My Swish, a determined blonde lady literally elbowed me out of the way to grab a desirable brown shoulder bag. I thought that an undignified 'rugby tackle' might ensue but decided it best to let the bag slip away. Handbags at dusk! Karen Millen frocks at dawn!

Says Leila: “I think the opportunity to rummage for hidden treasure takes us back to our hunter-gatherer roots. Pulses start racing and adrenalin levels run high when we announce that the swish is open. Our swishettes are usually surprisingly well-behaved though.”

She adds: “We did have a guest who tried to leave with more than her fair share at one swish - by stuffing things up her jumper. And then there was the time Sarah tried to swish the boots of a certain Brighton blogger… the ones she was wearing to the event.”

So, ladies, prepare for clothes swapping and recycling fun but keep a firm hold of your footwear.

• The next My Swish takes place on Sunday 10 April at Hotel du Vin, Brighton, from 12 noon. Entry costs £10 including refreshments and the event is in aid of the Variety Club of Great Britain.

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