A NEW group has been set up in the Vale with the aim of saving the amount of unwanted articles finishing up in landfill sites.

Sarah Cohen, of Lower Moor, was introduced to Freecycle through a group based on Malvern. "I though it was such a great scheme that we needed one here," she explained, "and so the Evesham and Pershore group was set up."

She said Freecycle was a way to re-use within the community, even better than recycling and re-use was the least polluting way of dealing with waste as well as being the most fun.

Mrs Cohen said: "Evesham and Pershore has had its own group since February and now has nearly 400 members. People can just join our local group via the internet on www.freecycle.org and then the idea is simple.

"People who have got goods to get rid of post an offer message and those who want them reply and collect. Alternatively, if you want something you feel someone might have you just post a wanted message and see what happens.

"No money changes hands, your rubbish is removed, landfill is not filled and you often get to meet nice people."

Mrs Cohen said Wychavon District Council was supportive by helping to distribute leaflets. James Dyer, the group contact at the council, said it was a good scheme because it helped reduce bulky waste collections. Similarly, the scheme was enthusiastically backed by Worcestershire County Council which was producing and printing posters, beer mats and leaflets.

"Of course, they get help to meet recycling targets for little input, but that's good too," Mrs Cohen said. "We are the envy of almost all the other groups for our council support."

Freecycle started three years ago in America and is now a global network with two million members worldwide. Britain has 145,000 members in 250 groups.

One member of the Evesham and Pershore group obtained a complete set of camping equipment from Freecycle, her first tent just two minutes after she posted a wanted for it. Another member from Ashton-under-Hill is offering a redundant hand-built go-cart.

Mrs Cohen said another odd fact was that in the last year the Freecycle movement worldwide saved enough from landfill which if put into refuse trucks and stacked on top of one another they would be three times the height of Mount Everest.