It's time to SnaffleUp some new year goodies

Today I'm taking time-out from the garden to introduce you to Chris Toynbee, founder of SnaffleUp, a new free recycling website that's going head-to-head with Freecycle. Chris contacted me in December after having a chat with Mrs Green over at MyZeroWaste. It was a great opportunity to invite Chris to tell us more about his new site which has already reached almost 2000 members.

Of course, I couldn't let him go without telling us about his own rubbish. So here's Chris on SnaffleUp, recycling and slimming bins.



What was the inspiration behind SnaffleUp?

The inspiration came from my frustrations with another recycling site. I felt there was a need for a easy to use recycling site that could constantly improved with new features and information about recycling in the UK.


How does SnaffleUp stand out from the other sites?

Firstly it's a lot easier to use. There is a simple registration process. You can add an item with up to 3 pictures in a few seconds. You can also customise how many emails you wish to receive by setting up email alerts for items that interest you and are in your area. No need to receive emails of every item listed. You can also instantly see how far away items are from your home.


What's the most unusual item to be advertised so far?

Someone added a lobster pot to the site not long after we first launched. I'm guessing even fishermen are using the Internet to recycle!


What kind of things are you personally hoping to find on SnaffleUp?

I could definitely do with a microwave - if I find one I'll make sure I get it checked out by an electrician. We advise all SnaffleUp members to do the same with their electrical items.


Thanks Chris that's top advice...but let's start talking bins! I think it's time to reveal how much you throw away. Don't be shy now.

It's pretty small. I recycle all items possible such as glass plastic and paper. If I think something might come in handy it usually ends up in a cupboard until it comes in handy or a little later goes on SnaffleUp.


And what's the one thing you're going to do to slim your bin in 2009?

Make sure that nothing that can be used by someone else is thrown into landfill. I noticed a broken camera on SnaffleUp recently. Apparently it was snapped up by someone looking for camera parts!

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Huge thanks to Chris for taking some valuable time out for the interview. I thought I'd give SnaffleUp a work-out and have already put something up this morning. So why don't you pop over to www.snaffleup.co.uk to see if you can work out what it is. Here's a clue - they're brown and belong to Mr A.

Happy guessing!

Oh...and if you're a tweeter, twitterer or whatever...don't forget you can follow SnaffleUp on Twitter and find out the latest offers added.


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