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Reuse was how our grandparents rolled. It just made sense. Stuff was precious and often hard to come by. As things have got cheaper and faster to make, we now dispose of them more frequently than ever before.   

Take clothing. On average every Australian consumes 15 kilograms of new clothes every year, or 56 new items. 84% ends up in landfill (Australian Fashion Council).

Sounds like time to rethink that old take-make-waste mindset, don't you think? It’s time to understand that what, and how we buy, impacts not just our hip pocket, but the entire planet too.  

Let’s face it, it’s time to stop being a square and get circular!

By giving your stuff a second life by buying or selling it at a garage sale, the value of all the effort and raw materials used to create is multiplied.  

In fact the latest research from the seriously smart folk at WRAP shows that extending the life of one item of clothes by just nine months can reduce it’s carbon, waste and water footprint by 20- 30%.

Reuse is one way of making sure our stuff lives on to do good. But there are other ways to make an impact.

Refuse unnecessary stuff.

First things first, say no to products which are over packaged and in quantities you will never be able to use. No one needs 14 copies of the Ray Hadley Christmas Album when honestly, one is probably too many already.

Politely let gifts that you don’t adore be re-gifted and say no to single-use items so they remain with their place of purchase.

Buy well made stuff once.

Shop the classics, the simple and well-made stuff. Choose the Paris of the Blender world, not the Paris Hilton.

Repair and refurb.

Join a Men or Women's Shed. Stitch those holes up. Sew a button back on it. Goddarn it, learn to darn it. There’s about a gazillion ways you can fix the stuff you have.

Multiply the good stuff by sharing and reusing.

Find multiple functions for your stuff. Buy secondhand first. Sell your preloved gems on eBay, give it away, donate it. Use a tool share, a car share, a house share (if you’re feeling brave). Sharing is caring and it's good for you, and your community.



Recycle what you can and dispose thoughtfully of the stuff you can’t.

This is the last resort. Understand what goes where and become a king or queen of this recycling. The good people at Planet Ark have a handy directory you can use to view recycling centres near you and learn more about the best disposal methods for your stuff.

And whatever you do, don't leave your stuff on the kerbside. Items will likely end up in landfill and you could be fined.

Garage Sale Trail, Australia's biggest secondhand treasure hunt, is next on 9-10 & 16-17 November 2024. Register now to be part of it.