On the 14th of March, we hosted Brisbane’s first-ever Resource Recovery circular economy pop-up sale ‘Retail Rescue’. It was a brilliant day, with some bargains snapped up, some laughs had and stock (recovered resources) re-activated into the economy!! Stock that otherwise would have lain dormant in warehouses or may have suffered a less than ideal fate, ending up in landfill.
Being leaders in landfill diversion, resource recovery and the circular economy in Brisbane, we had a few businesses reach out to us to help them ensure that the stock they have on hand found a second life and made an impact. Our team and our community of supporters spent time sorting through brand new returned items, slightly damaged stock and second hand furniture. We then reviewed, renewed, repaired and repurposed these goods, in preparation for our warehouse open day ‘Retail Rescue’. Our Resource Recovery section of the warehouse saw unusable and less than ideal stock being separated into parts, some of which were used to salvage and repair other items with minor imperfections. Finally, after the usable parts were recovered, our leftover resource streams were carefully separated and sent off to be recycled or repurposed into new products.
This was an exciting project for the team, as it presented us with a huge opportunity to reframe what was once considered unsaleable stock into viable and wanted products. To have been able to present it to the wider community, making it accessible for people to shop consciously and reasonably, made it even more worthwhile. The response and feedback from the community on the impact for the planet and their wallets was phenomenal, with repeat customers and supporters from our regular Garage Sale, our second hand sale that we host yearly, and our first circular economy shoe boutique pop-up, If The Shoe Fits, returning to shop circular and score some bargains. We were also honored to welcome the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, the Honorable Trevor Evans MP. Our friends at Channel 7, also popped-in to share the incredible sustainable bargains on the nightly news.
There is a sustainable and circular movement happening in Brisbane and we are so proud to be involved in making this happen. In the book Becoming by Michelle Obama, she writes about a speech that Barack delivers in which he talks about creating change in which he says:
At the World’s Biggest Garage Sale, we see a world where Circular Shopping Precincts are as big as Westfield Centres, with Makerspaces built into the model and Resource Recovery at the heart. A world where people can come to not only shop circular, but also to learn and get involved. We see a world where jobs are created and opportunities are available for everyone, especially the vulnerable and those who are living on the margins. We see a space that is inclusive and tolerant, that empowers people with skills that help them grow, both on a personal and professional level.
The best part of all of this is that we not only believe in this world, but we are doing ‘the doing’ to make this a reality. We are working towards a better world where People, Planet and Purpose are at the heart of everything we do. In line with this, we have just moved into a new and bigger warehouse space, where we are currently building our makerspace, soon to be teeming with action once we can all move freely again.
If you know of or work for a business that has stock that is sitting dormant or otherwise would go into landfill, please get in contact with the team. If you have have a trade under your belt or are handy with tools or a sewing machine and like to get involved in our makerspace, reach out. Let’s all work together for a more circular world.
