Best way to clear stuff from a garden

[BranchingOut]

I have some items to clear from our garden and am wondering what is the best way to go about it. The area is quite a long way from the road, but flat, over grass and some patio.

Shed
Shed glass windows
Ancient roller for lawns
Brick paving - 100 bricks?
Large concrete pavers - 20 bricks
A couple of dustbins
Some random bits of junk
Wrought iron gates - may keep these.
Odd metal posts.

I am quite environmentally conscious so would hate to think of any of this getting fly-tipped somewhere. Would any of this free-cycle? What about labour?

What happens to stuff in skips? Where does this end up? Can you hire equipment to help with these kind of jobs?

the easiest way would be to hire a skip and get rid of it in as one lot. you could put it on gumtree or some of these other sites but I find people just mess you about, they don't come, then they turn up then what you have isn't what they want ad infinitum - I also don't like lots of people coming to the house I don't know and having a nose about in your garden. if you skip it they will just dump it into landfill I think.

I would definitely Freecycle to start with. I've found that the time wasters seem to be with household & kids stuff, whereas bricks etc appeal to the genuine freecyclers.

The lawn roller will probably sell, try Gumtree or EBay local for that.

Of course all of this depends on whether you can be bothered and have the time, vs your Eco-friendly leanings. Only you can answer that one.

Might also be worth contacting any local garden salvage yards? They may come and take the lot off your hands, poss for a fee, but will resell most of it.

Some of it might be of interest to a salvage yard? They take all kinds of things e.g. the roller, maybe the bricks and the gates if you decide to get rid of them.

if the dustbins are usable, an allotment society or community garden group might like them.

Thanks for the ideas, the lawn roller is v rusty but it would still melt down I suppose?

Yes, I think that I will try freecycle first.

Who could I employ to help lift those pavers? I had a look at them yesterday and they are a bit beyond me, even if i was lifting them with DH.

Thanks for the tip re garden salvage yard.

Give a Salvage Yard a call Branching Out, you really would be surprised at what they'll take, they might even lift pavers if they thought they'd be profitable.

We bought an oak beam to go above our inglenook fireplace and when they showed it to us in its initial state in the yard I swear I wouldn't even have wanted it for firewood, but they worked some kind of restoration magic on it and I was absolutely amazed. I'm pretty sure the right people would snatch your arm off for the roller, plenty of people would buy one as a garden ornament.

Well, who would have thought it? Rusty rollers sell for £40 - £50 on eBay!

I will try the three angles of salvage, eBay and freecycle, before going down the route of skips etc.

Glad I posted, as you have given me some good ideas which will hopefully lead me to send these items to the right new homes...if someone wants an old roller as a garden ormament, who am i to argue?! Thanks.

Just coming back to update.

Inspired by your suggestions I managed to get this work done and much of it has gone to new homes - not landfill.

Shed - skip
Old hoses - skip
Butane canister - handyman had his eye on it
5 Roof tiles - handyman
Hod - skip, but the handyman might have been giving it a glance or two
Dustbin's worth of ash- skip
Concrete pavers - collected by a lovely lady from Ebay, even though they weighed a ton!

And this week an architectural salvage co is hopefully coming to collect about 50 bricks, the garden roller, two gates, garden ornaments and two aluminium dustbins, for which they will hopefully pay me in pounds sterling! If I feel generous I will also throw in a brazier.

So, with a bit of persistence, it can be done! If anyone lives Sussex/Surrey/London borders and wants the name of the salvage co, send me a message.