Waste Not Want Not initiative poised to be launched.

There is a new way to get the things you need for free - and unclutter your home at the same time.

It is called Waste Not Want Not and it is being launched in Honiton next month.

Based on principles similar to Freecycle, which has been proving popular on the internet, the initiative aims to reduce the amount of good quality items going to landfill and help people at the same time.

Karen Berger is the brainchild behind the project.

She says she is launching the initiative because many people, including those without computers, don’t know Freecycle exists.

“There are resource-limited families within Honiton and I feel it is our responsibility to reach out to everyone who could benefit,” she told the Midweek Herald. “We don’t have to look very far to see that our economy is in dire straits, with far-reaching effects for practically everyone in society.

“With Honiton Waste Not Want Not, we can get many of the things we need from within the community and promote a self-sufficient attitude.”

Karen wants to see more people helping society to take better care of the planet.

She said: “We need to reduce what we make, be more careful about how we make it and learn to live with less.”

New and used household items, including curtains, lampshades and crockery, small electrical items with a CE mark, children’s toys and games, garden tools, books, CDs and DVDs can all be left for other people to take home during a Waste Not Want Not event being held in the Mackarness Hall on Saturday, February 25.

Karen says: “Leave your unwanted items in the hall, to be shared among anyone who comes along on the day - and see if there is anything you need for yourself. Even those who don’t have any goods to donate can choose items for themselves. As long as it is kept out of landfill, it is a win-win situation.”

There will be a �1 entry fee to the event (50p for children) to help pay for the hire of the hall.

Food, drinks and other liquids will not be accepted, along with clothes, large electrical items or items without a CE mark, landline and cordless phones (mobiles are acceptable) and paint and other hazardous items, such as fireworks, garden chemicals and lead acid batteries.

Anything left over at the end of the event will be distributed to local charity shops.