Flintshire County Council's recycling team is supporting Waste Awareness Wales in asking people to try "freecycling" their unwanted gifts, rather than putting them away in a cupboard or in the bin.

The Flintshire Freecycle network has 2,113 members who regularly swap unwanted but sound items for free.

Freecycle is a free version of an auction website, where you upload details of your unwanted items and people who want them then get in touch for further details before collecting them.

All you need to do is register and put the details of your items on the website and wait for someone to contact you.

Councillor Kevin Jones, Flintshire County Council's executive member for waste management strategy and asset management, said: "Whatever your gift, there is likely to be someone out there who is looking for it.

"Most people like to start the new year afresh with a clear-out of all those unwanted items and gifts. But just because we don't have a use for these items any more doesn't necessarily mean other people won't either – there is usually someone out there who can use them.

"We can all do our bit to stop sending these items to landfill, where they take up valuable space."

Freecycle's mission statement is "to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources and eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

To become a member of Flintshire Freecycle visit http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/FlintshireFreecycle/ and join the group.

Once you've set up your ID and logged in you can read messages people have posted offering or wanting items and reply to them, as well as posting your unwanted items up there yourself.

Flintshire has seven civic amenity sites collecting a range of materials including paper, glass, cans, shoes and textiles. There are sites in Buckley, Connah's Quay, Flint, Hope, Mold, Queensferry, Saltney and they are open 8am-8pm (April to September) and 8am-6pm (October to March).

To find out more call Flintshire County Council on 01352 752121 or visit www.flintshire.gov.uk