AN online recycling forum that prevents tonnes of re-usable items from ending up in landfill sites is proving to be one of the fastest growing networks in Stroud.

More than 1,500 Five Valleys residents have joined Freecycle within the space of a year and numbers are increasing by more than 40 every week.

Everything from cars and caravans to boxes of coat hangers, pushchairs and even a Mr Men book has found new homes thanks to Stroud's Freecycle network.

The group offers a forum through which members can post details of items they wish to "offer" or things that they "want", with the main rule being that items must be passed on without expectation of payment.

Freecycle, which was started in Tucson, Arizona, in 2003, now has 396 voluntary-run groups across the UK and boasts 500,000 members. It operates in a total of 79 countries overall and its motto is: 'Changing the world, one gift at a time'.

This month members of Freecycle from across the UK will prevent an estimated 557 tonnes of re-usable goods from going into landfill sites.

Stroud Freecycle, which was set up at the beginning of 2006, is run by mother-of-two Diz' from Cam.

She said the group was going from strength to strength.

"I think the Stroud group is so popular because people here have a history of being artistic - things like installation art feature a lot of reused materials, for example," she said.

"On top of that, Stroud District Council has a comparatively good reputation in the ratings for recycling.

"I think people are becoming more aware of recycling and a lot of people here care for the environment.

"By using Freecycle, people can pass items on to someone who can give it an extended life and at the same time reduce the UK's reliance on landfill as a means of disposing of unwanted goods."

Diz explained that almost anything could be posted on the Freecycle forum, with almost everything going on to find a new home.

"Offers have covered the full spectrum," she said.

"The only rule is the item must be legal and appropriate for all ages. All are equally valuable.

"Members can watch for items they would otherwise buy, or post messages either giving details of something they wish to offer or something they want.

"When more than one person responds, the gifter' chooses which person they gift to then collection is arranged.

"Personally I think the thing I have gained most from Freecycle is space."

One of the beauties of Freecycle is that items offered through the forum stay within the Stroud area, said Diz.

She added that this helped to promote community spirit while giving a new lease of life to items that might otherwise end up in a tip.

*To find out more about Freecycle visit: www.freecycle.org. Details of local groups can be found using links on the left of the page.

*Top ten unusual items posted on Freecycle.

A didgeridoo.

A spell kit to turn your ex-boyfriend into a toad.

A cat with three legs.

Spider plants.

Broken mirror tiles for mosaics.

Empty plant pots.

A violin case.

Non-matching plates.

Beds.

Mobile phone chargers.