The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Charity shops? Freecycle? Wall? I know (or think) you're talking about a designated, probably council-run, area, a sort of anti-tip, but I wonder if there's really a need or a demand?

[Wombat]

Charity shops in non-skint areas seem to be very picky indeed about what they will take.  One in Hedge End (it was Marie Curie) wanted to pick and choose each individual item from the car load that Mrs W took there recently, from my late mother's home.  We'd already sorted it into charity shops, or recycling centre, but no, they all seem to want absolutely perfect goods without even a hint of a mark on them.  I wonder quite who they are catering for?

Marie Curie got nothing, as Mrs W just shut the tailgate and drove off.  Most of it ended up in the charity shops in Welshpool, who take a more realistic view.  The amount we had to just take to the tip was horrifying, including things like an unmarked G Plan dining suite, and we had to give away a 2 month old £500 Bosch fridge freezer.  People don't seem to want stuff unless its brand new in a box, from China.

[hatler]

Wombat, I feel your pain. I'm about a month behind you on this journey.  We've found an ethical house clearing company near my late mum's house, but lining them up is proving tough.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The reason charity shops won't take stuff is two-fold: lack of storage, and even more a lack of customers. Everyone donates, few buy.

[Basil]

When I needed to clear my dad's Sheltered flat in Lichfield, I contacted the local British Heart Foundation and told them that they could have everything as long as they took everything.   Which they did (even the phone, which I hadn't meant them to do).
There was some tat, but also some very nice stuff which made it worth their while.

However, this was 2011 and I expect things have changed.
I tried the same with my mother's sheltered flat in Reading last year but no one bit.  Ended up paying a professional clearance company to do it.

[ian]

As said, a lot of charity stores fell prey to virtuous dumping (or plain old dumping). It's cheaper that paying the council to dispose of stuff. They can't store it and often can't sell it, so end up having to foot the costs.

It's true that some people have odd perceptions – we have a pile of Ikea cupboards and bookshelves in the garage, which aren't in perfect condition, but they're not in bad condition either. Couldn't give them away (some quite odd people came around, I mean really, it wouldn't be free if it were brand new and in perfect nick, would it?) Someone actually asked if we could deliver it.

On the other hand, when we had the kitchen ripped out, no sooner than it was sat on the drive, someone pulled up and asked us if we still wanted it, and despite its condition it was gone in a day.

[Kim]

On the other hand, when we had the kitchen ripped out, no sooner than it was sat on the drive, someone pulled up and asked us if we still wanted it, and despite its condition it was gone in a day.

I'm sure their future tenant was delighted...

[Beardy]

Our daughter in law works for charities in the legacy department. She’s currently at BHF (though she’s just got a job with The Royal Society). And she was saying at the weekend that the charity shops of most large charities are, at best, self funding, with their primary reason for existence being as reminders of the charities existence. She went on to say that the recent energy price rise is going to make most shop estates cost centres and the charities as a whole will be doing some very difficult sums to decide on how many shops to keep and where.

[Mrs Pingu]

Charity shops in non-skint areas seem to be very picky indeed about what they will take.  One in Hedge End (it was Marie Curie) wanted to pick and choose each individual item from the car load that Mrs W took there recently, from my late mother's home.  We'd already sorted it into charity shops, or recycling centre, but no, they all seem to want absolutely perfect goods without even a hint of a mark on them.  I wonder quite who they are catering for?

Marie Curie got nothing, as Mrs W just shut the tailgate and drove off.  Most of it ended up in the charity shops in Welshpool, who take a more realistic view.  The amount we had to just take to the tip was horrifying, including things like an unmarked G Plan dining suite, and we had to give away a 2 month old £500 Bosch fridge freezer.  People don't seem to want stuff unless its brand new in a box, from China.

You should have tried Freecycle or Freegle. The only things I've never managed to get rid of on there were some ancient roof bars and an unused double electric socket.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Charity shops in non-skint areas seem to be very picky indeed about what they will take.  One in Hedge End (it was Marie Curie) wanted to pick and choose each individual item from the car load that Mrs W took there recently, from my late mother's home.  We'd already sorted it into charity shops, or recycling centre, but no, they all seem to want absolutely perfect goods without even a hint of a mark on them.  I wonder quite who they are catering for?

Marie Curie got nothing, as Mrs W just shut the tailgate and drove off.  Most of it ended up in the charity shops in Welshpool, who take a more realistic view.  The amount we had to just take to the tip was horrifying, including things like an unmarked G Plan dining suite, and we had to give away a 2 month old £500 Bosch fridge freezer.  People don't seem to want stuff unless its brand new in a box, from China.

You should have tried Freecycle or Freegle. The only things I've never managed to get rid of on there were some ancient roof bars and an unused double electric socket.

Reminds me I saw an odd thing on the wall yesterday. A converter socket, like one you'd use for GOING ABROAD, but both sides were UK. 

[ian]

On the other hand, when we had the kitchen ripped out, no sooner than it was sat on the drive, someone pulled up and asked us if we still wanted it, and despite its condition it was gone in a day.

I'm sure their future tenant was delighted...

It wasn't that bad, I'd just not considered it worthy of recycling considering it had been in use as a kitchen for a decade or two. Weirdly, I couldn't get rid of the decent stuff. Though I mostly gave up after the weirdoes who expected me to deliver it, or one woman that carefully inspected a couple of small cat scratches, like she was looking for a reason to get a discount.

[phantasmagoriana]

Is there anywhere that operates a commmunity exchange scheme, where there's a designated area for people to put something they no longer need but which is perfectly serviceable ?

Not quite the same (I'm not sure how feasible that would be with big items in areas where not many people have cars) but we have a local "street bounty" Facebook group where people can post stuff they've seen dumped around town for the attention of others that might be able to use it.

[SoreTween]

I am sure I read that somewhere (Liverpool, I think) was trialling centralized rubbish storage and collection, with some success. It may challenge the British mindset of chucking it outside their front door and it instantly becoming someone else's problem.

I saw that too & my memory also says liverpool, underground bins QG may be acquainted with.  Not Just Bikes on gootube has a good video about them. Looks very effective.

[Beardy]

I’m having to spend way too long in POBI just to try and keep up with all the traffic, and I decide to take a break and look in on Health and fitness only to find a several of very long and complicated replies to,a thread I’ve been watching in there.

Sod it, I’m gonna get a beer!

[Basil]

Biggles1 and Biggles2.  Bit low wasn't that, lads?

[rafletcher]

Biggles1 and Biggles2.  Bit low wasn't that, lads?

I was out near Shrewsbury once, and I swear they were so low the grass was blown over by their wake.

[robgul]

Biggles1 and Biggles2.  Bit low wasn't that, lads?

I was out near Shrewsbury once, and I swear they were so low the grass was blown over by their wake.

You want to try being in the middle of the beach at Bamburgh, wearing shorts, when the jets are so low they sand-blast your legs 

[Captain Nemo]

Biggles1 and Biggles2.  Bit low wasn't that, lads?

I was out near Shrewsbury once, and I swear they were so low the grass was blown over by their wake.

You want to try being in the middle of the beach at Bamburgh, wearing shorts, when the jest are so low they sand-blast your legs 

Good job Bamburgh Casle is a bit more substantial than this Aussie observation post...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Mh3dsln9M

Always had a soft spot for the old 'Vark and was really chuffed when I got rider number F111 for PBP2015

[Wombat]

Charity shops in non-skint areas seem to be very picky indeed about what they will take.  One in Hedge End (it was Marie Curie) wanted to pick and choose each individual item from the car load that Mrs W took there recently, from my late mother's home.  We'd already sorted it into charity shops, or recycling centre, but no, they all seem to want absolutely perfect goods without even a hint of a mark on them.  I wonder quite who they are catering for?

Marie Curie got nothing, as Mrs W just shut the tailgate and drove off.  Most of it ended up in the charity shops in Welshpool, who take a more realistic view.  The amount we had to just take to the tip was horrifying, including things like an unmarked G Plan dining suite, and we had to give away a 2 month old £500 Bosch fridge freezer.  People don't seem to want stuff unless its brand new in a box, from China.

You should have tried Freecycle or Freegle. The only things I've never managed to get rid of on there were some ancient roof bars and an unused double electric socket.

A bit tricky, when you are clearing a house 200 miles from home, you're staying in a hotel with almost no wifi and poor phone signal, and you've got 3 days maximum.  We didn't know what we had, till we got stuck in, down there.  We knew about the fridge, and put it on Gumtree for a third of its purchase price (it was absolutely mint condition, hardly used) but no-one was interested, so we gave it away to a friend of one of mum's carers. Our spare bedroom is still littered with stuff we thought was worth making a real effort to sell, but we only have a small car, so the amount was limited.  People are unlikely to travel to our home to collect low value items, as we're a fair way from anywhere. Postage costs make low value items unaffordable.  We made a lot of (pre-booked) tip runs in those few days...

[TimC]

Biggles1 and Biggles2.  Bit low wasn't that, lads?

Were they ours, or Russian?

[Beardy]

Dr Beardy has been clearing out THE kitchen drawer this afternoon and has found a number of unused mini-maglites. Given the impeding power cuts I decided to check them out and prepare them deployment.

They have no lamps; no worries, I’ll order some led conversions for them.

I probably won’t, as I can buy two whole led torches for less than the price of one generic led conversion. Pah, I wanted to save them from landfill.

[Basil]

Biggles1 and Biggles2.  Bit low wasn't that, lads?

Were they ours, or Russian?

Probably mercans. Do they still have bases here?

[The Family Cyclist]

Dr Beardy has been clearing out THE kitchen drawer this afternoon and has found a number of unused mini-maglites. Given the impeding power cuts I decided to check them out and prepare them deployment.

They have no lamps; no worries, I’ll order some led conversions for them.

I probably won’t, as I can buy two whole led torches for less than the price of one generic led conversion. Pah, I wanted to save them from landfill.

You are aware there's is, or at least would have been a spare bulb in the end cap

[TimC]

Bought two touch-controlled lamps from B&Q today. Neither worked. It’s a bloody 20 mile round trip to take them back.

[Mr Larrington]

“Hmmm!” thought Mr Larrington as he made his way from the pick-up-ur-undelivered-post office towards Mr Sainsbury’s House of Toothy Comestibles.  “Something feels loose on this 'ere Perfectly Good Gentleman’s Mountain Bicycle!”

Not long afterwards the left crank fell off.  At the bottom of the short sharp climb out of the Crooked Billet underpass

One-legged pedalling is rather hurty, especially with a pair of Ortliebs stuffed with Toothy Comestibles.  I had to walk the uphill bit.  Investigation of the state of b0rk of the crank/bb interface can wait until I've had more brown drink.