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Original poster

Anyone else using the Olio recycling app?

30 replies

eebok · 15/01/2022 14:30

A friend suggested this app a few weeks ago when we were talking about environmental habits and I was saying how I need to start tackling my hoarder habits.

It's free and built for people who are aiming for zero waste. You can share all sorts including food or toiletries or just anything you don't use yourself.

I've been on it for a week and shared so many things that have been cluttering our home, it's been brilliant! So I thought I'd give it a shout out and also see if anyone else has been using it lately?

OP posts:

RedCandyApple · 16/01/2022 01:01

Yes I used it once and the man never showed up to collect after arranging, no message to cancel either so wouldn’t use it again for that reason, can’t stand time wasters

Pendolino · 16/01/2022 01:12

It’s a waste of time. If I’ve got surplus fruit from my tree I just leave it outside the house in a box for neighbours to help themselves.

RAOK · 16/01/2022 01:13

I use it regularly too and think it’s good.

Disneydatknee88 · 16/01/2022 01:30

I use it regularly. I can't be bothered to list stuff for sale. Like I don't have the time to post things off. I'd rather my stuff goes to people who need it. I just leave it outside my front door and someone will collect it. I recently had a load of glossybox things I'd saved up that I'd never use and put together a pamper box for free. I had a nurse contact me who said she'd had a rough few months and would really appreciate it. Left it for her to collect after her night shift. Felt better to make up a gift box for someone who appreciates it than have it sat in my drawer. I've had the odd person who's taken a few days to collect but so what? Doesn't cost me anything and I'm not delivering it.

LittleWingSoul · 16/01/2022 01:39

@Disneydatknee88 That's lovely!

I think it's a great app, easy to use with lots of features that make it quite fun to use (yes I am 36 and like "stickers"!)

Nice forum and 99% of people I've shared things with have been lovely.

@Pendolino Yes you could obviously do that, and I think for fresh produce that you would like to share once a year that is the easiest thing to do. On olio you could share, say, a tin of pumpkin puree you bought with good intentions but know you will never use, and it will get snapped up by a pumpkin pie lover! Less likely to get taken by a passer by than apples in a box would, so good for things like that.

Olio also has an army of volunteers that collect surplus produce from supermarkets that can't be handed over to foodbanks (as foodbanks tend towards long life items), who then distribute it on the app. Eg Pret gives away their sandwiches at 3pm and they get listed on olio by a volunteer (or 'food waste hero' as they call them), and they get snapped up within minutes. Keeps it out of landfill!

nordica · 16/01/2022 02:02

I did a couple of times but the people picking stuff up were such a pain with arranging a time. One needed so much guidance to find my perfectly normal street too like she'd never seen a map before...

Pendolino · 16/01/2022 04:16

It highlights that some people don’t have a good network of friends or know their neighbours. It’s sad…offer your surpluses to who you know. Much less hassle.

And volunteers shouldn’t be wasting their time driving around to pick up old sandwiches. shops should just discount end of day food heavily. Someone will buy it. My local supermarket and health food shop does this and it all goes. Much better for the planet.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 16/01/2022 05:18

It highlights that some people don’t have a good network of friends or know their neighbours. It’s sad…offer your surpluses to who you know

Dont be a dick. What an awful thing to say. What if nobody you know wants it? Should it then be thrown away? Who cares if its a stranger?

Original poster

eebok · 16/01/2022 05:59

Ah it must be lovely be to have a neighbourhood with loads of friends and nice neighbours! I agree that's the dream. We're not quite lucky enough to live somewhere like that yet. Even if we did, realistically we'd struggle - we're both autistic and tend to have a terrible time making friends at the best of times.

But I hope everyone who does have that enjoys it - being part of a close community must be so lovely, really, it makes me ache with longing!

What a shame that others have had annoying collectors - I've been pleasantly surprised so far by the polite communication and people actually turning up. They never did on FB or Gumtree, so I've assumed that having to sign up to the app in the first place (coupled with the bans if you behave badly) were the reason for that.

OP posts:

Original poster

eebok · 16/01/2022 06:07

Yy @Letsallscreamatthesistene

Unless you have many hundreds of friends locally (maybe if you're a normal person you do?), surely you just can't advertise to such a big pool of people?

Some things I put on there have been there for a few days with well over a thousand views before someone actually really wanted it and asked for it.

OP posts:

Original poster

eebok · 16/01/2022 06:08

Anyway ... always good to get a bit of a kick in the morning and another reminder that my life is sad

OP posts:

StruggleStreet · 16/01/2022 06:12

I’ve started using it recently too OP and agree it’s a great app.
Has helped me to start to declutter and I love the idea that things that would otherwise sit unused in my house or end up in landfill instead go to someone who actually wants them.

StruggleStreet · 16/01/2022 06:15

It highlights that some people don’t have a good network of friends or know their neighbours. It’s sad…offer your surpluses to who you know

This week the things I’ve added to olio included a pregnancy pillow, some unused notebooks, a scarf. I guarantee that my friends don’t want me foisting random crap on them, whereas the people who collected have actually sought out and want these things.

Palavah · 16/01/2022 06:49

@StruggleStreet

It highlights that some people don’t have a good network of friends or know their neighbours. It’s sad…offer your surpluses to who you know

Exactly

ExtremelyDetermined · 16/01/2022 06:59

I signed up last week, I have put on one thing so far and it was asked for within a couple of hours and taken the next day. Our problem is we haven't got anywhere under cover to leave things so if its not waterproof we still need to arrange pickup times which is a pain as we are out a lot and have had so much time wasted in the past by FB buyers, freecyclers etc.

Also ours is very quiet, there has only been one other non-food item listed in my several mile radius setting this week.

persephone19 · 16/01/2022 07:02

I've had some great success with it. Have nabbed a couple of things but mostly I use it for decluttering. Had someone yesterday come to pick up a pile of stones (!!) from our garden which he was going to use for a rockery.
It's a tool for me, and has a nice vibe. and so far I've found much fewer time wasters than FB marketplace.

jamandmarmaladethesecondcoming · 16/01/2022 07:21

i must get bread

Pendolino · 16/01/2022 10:18

I didn’t intend to make people feel inadequate, it’s how it works in most communities I’ve lived in. Using the power of networks. A friend will know of someone else who can use something even if they can’t directly. Or you can leave things in a box by your door with a sign saying FREE if you don’t want the interaction and in most neighbourhoods it will disappear.

You can also donate items to a charity shop or baby group if they are in reasonable condition. That way a good cause benefits as well as the person buying the item.

BatshitCrazyWoman · 16/01/2022 10:26

Yes I use it. Everything has been collected within 48 hours of putting it on the site. You can 'score' people so you can see how many stars people have. I've got rid of small furniture items, and things like drawer dividers and decorative bits and bobs.

I've got a few more things to list, must do that.

LittleWingSoul · 16/01/2022 11:42

@eebok oh no! I don't think it's a reflection on you at all, it may just be that it hasn't taken off in your area yet! I hadn't met any of the 58 or so people who have collected from me over the past year. They haven't all become 'friends' either, they are just people who live in a 2 mile radius who are olio users!

I mainly give away old toys, books, household bits and pieces... And sometimes things that I know a charity shop wouldn't want get snapped up too eg empty Neal's Yard bottles and jars!

As for the pp who suggested supermarkets are "doing it wrong", the items picked up by volunteers have already been heavily reduced in store and haven't sold. They always have the 'reduced' stickers on them. I can't speak for Pret, I don't know why they don't reduce heavily in store. I agree that they should! But better that they get rid this way than not at all!

Pendolino · 16/01/2022 11:48

The level of discounting is probably the issue. The supermarket used to knock 30-50% off and food would still be left over. Now it gets reduced to 10-25p per item with the rest offered for free to staff and it almost all goes.

GoodnightGrandma · 16/01/2022 11:51

I’ve found my stuff on Freecycle always goes. Yes, you get the odd time waster, but generally people come when they say and are grateful.

LittleWingSoul · 16/01/2022 11:52

@Pendolino I do agree with you. M&s are bad for this when they first start reducing. 11p off the full price? No thanks, I think I'll take the one with the long best before date!

Divebar2021 · 16/01/2022 12:00

I’ve downloaded it but haven’t used it yet. My sister told me about it. She’s a single mum and doesn’t have tons of spare cash so it’s lovely for her to save a little bit of cash. I have various items I’d like to give away and although Freecycle has been good in the past it did start to feel less neighbourly and more business like.

ExtremelyDetermined · 18/01/2022 06:53

I did get rid of a lot through Freecycle many years ago when it was in its relative infancy, but gradually the timewasting got worse and I have had no end of messing about on FB. I'm not sure how Freecycle works these days, the old email group thing must be obsolete by now. I've always felt a bit uneasy giving total strangers my address on FB marketplace, it goes against the general "internet safety" thing a bit for me, I like that Olio is separate from my SM.

I agree that much can be done by local networking, I often try one of my whatsapp groups first and so do my friends but just leaving things out isn't very practical for us as we have a narrow drive and they would get in the way of getting the cars on and off. Some of our neighbours do it though, we have high pedestrian footfall on our street. I also use charity shops, but there are things that they won't take, or are too big.

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