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Group policies on certain items
The standard Freegle rule is "free, legal and appropriate for all ages". All Freegle groups prohibit:
- Drugs (prescription or over-the-counter, for humans or animals)
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Other items with age-restricted sales (such as bladed items and age-certificated videos/computer games)
- Firearms and weapons
In addition, the following policies relate to Freegle groups in Norfolk:
In general, you should contact your group's moderators before posting if you have any concerns or questions about whether an item is allowed or not. This list is not exhaustive and other items may be
prohibited at the moderators' discretion.
Copyrighted material
As one of the basic rules of Freegle is that
items offered or requested must be legal, it is important to consider copyright on items such as computer software, music and films/TV
programmes.
You should not pass on original copyrighted material if you retain a
copy yourself (e.g. music recorded onto tape, CD, or MP3, or software left on your hard drive). Nor should you
pass on copies of copyrighted material. For computer software, you
should check the terms of your licence agreement, but apart
from "freeware", "shareware" or "open source" material, it is almost
certain that you should remove all traces from your own system before
passing it on. If you hold a valid licence for something but have
lost or damaged the original media, please contact the manufacturer.
It is acceptable to pass on home-recorded media as long as you offer them as
items, e.g. CD-ROMs, CDs, video and audio tapes, etc. Offers should
not be based on the content of the media.
Please respect this rule, as it would be a serious threat to the
future of Freegle worldwide if it became a forum for copyright
theft.
Animals
Freegle is primarily for items that would otherwise be thrown into
landfill; clearly that does not include animals. We have
a list of links
to animal rehoming organizations, who can offer the best advice on how
to rehome pets. If the rehoming organizations can't help you then try
this local Yahoo group: East Anglia Pets4Life. The members have a lot of experience with rehoming
animals and will give you good advice.
If you still can't find a home for your animal then the following
Norfolk groups will try and help: Great Yarmouth will accept Offers of mice, fish, rabbits and snails if they have
been on EastAnglia Pets4Life for 3 days without success. Other animals are not accepted on the group. South Norfolk,
Breckland and Broadland will accept Offers of animals when the above methods have failed - but please
contact the relevant group moderator
before placing your offer.
Norwich, West Norfolk and North Norfolk do not accept Offers of animals. No Norfolk groups accept Wanteds for animals.
Vouchers and coupons
There are a great many different kinds of vouchers and coupons out there, such as those which you can collect for school equipment.
They are not really a waste problem, and we do not wish to see Freegle overwhelmed by them, but will accept Offers for these items if
you have a large number that you really cannot
get rid of elsewhere. We will also accept Offers of tickets, e.g. those that are unexpectedly no longer needed but cannot be returned for a refund (train
and coach tickets, concert and theatre, etc.).
Norfolk Freegle groups do not allow Wanted requests for vouchers, coupons or tickets.
Asbestos-containing products
The Health and Safety Executive have informed us that it is illegal to move, supply (including as a gift), transport or dispose of asbestos unless you are a licensed contractor. All asbestos products are therefore banned from Freegle.
Items with safety considerations
There are safety issues associated with acquiring certain goods secondhand as opposed to new. These items are not prohibited, but members should take care when obtaining them through Freegle. The notes below just highlight the main issues, and the list is by no means exhaustive.
You should always do whatever is necessary to assure yourself that something is safe before you use it. If you are not convinced, walk away! A free item could end up costing you more than just money if it is dangerous. If you are offering an item, state honestly what you know about its history, and if you are not sure it's safe, think twice about offering the item at all. Freegle should not be used as a means for disposing of unsafe goods which really should be thrown away.
- Child car seats - you cannot be sure of the history of the seat; seats which have been in an accident should not be re-used. Even if the history of the seat is OK, fitting instructions may not be available, and badly fitted seats can be dangerous. New regulations (18th September 2006) on child car seats can be found here.
- Bicycle and motorbike helmets - as above, you cannot be sure of the history of the helmet. Previous accidents and other impacts (e.g. being dropped) can reduce the helmet's effectiveness.
- Gas equipment - there are regulations relating to the supply of secondhand gas equipment which, while they may not apply to items given away, serve as a useful list of points to consider. Gas equipment should be installed by a CORGI registered engineer.
- Electrical equipment - as above, regulations may not apply to goods given away but the advice given is a useful starting point.
- Cars - most cars given away on Freegle are noted as needing some work (perhaps lots - they are free for a reason!). Even if a car has a valid MOT, this does not mean that it is as safe now as when it passed its last test. Do not take repair jobs on lightly - if you decide you cannot fix it, you may have to pay to dispose of the car. Also consider licensing: the link above notes the DVLA requirements when selling a car - these also apply when giving one away. Make sure the registration is transferred to the new owner.
As per our disclaimer, Freegle moderators are not responsible for any damage or loss incurred through the use of goods acquired via Freegle.
Last modified: 21st December 2009
Content Copyright © 2009 Norfolk Freegle
Moderators.
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