Make re-use your first choice with Reverse Garbage and The Bower

January is a time when many of us find ourselves drowning in unnecessary belongings; or we have a bit of spare time on our hands and start a craft or DIY project.

Instead of sending your unwanted goods to landfill, or going out and buying new materials for a project, make re-use your first choice with Reverse Garbage and The Bower.

Reverse Garbage and The Bower are creative re-use centres located in Marrickville. They save things which would’ve otherwise gone to landfill and make them available for re-use by the community.

Woollahra residents have free access to many of their services.

1. Book a free collection of your unwanted goods through The Bower

If you’re de-cluttering your home, instead of putting your unwanted things out for Council pick-up, donate them to The Bower instead. They’ll even pick them up for free.

The Bower accepts furniture, kitchenware, books, bikes, music, sports/leisure items, paints, timbers, doors/windows, tools, plumbing items, garden items, tiles/pavers and bric-a-brac. Bookings must be made online.

If The Bower isn’t able to accept your item, take a look at their Re-use Database which lists more than 1000 other local organisations that can help.

2. Learn how to repair a broken item with The Bower

If you’re throwing out an item because it’s broken, why not learn how to repair it instead?

The Bower runs regular Repair Cafes where skilled repairers meet non-repairers to teach them the skills to fix things. Come along, have a cuppa and learn how to repair an electrical item, bike, mobile phone or piece of furniture.

3. Shop at Reverse Garbage and The Bower and find a second hand treasure 

Re-use can be about rehoming pre-loved items from the Bower or re-purposing items from Reverse Garbage.

The Bower is a fun place to shop as you can find pretty much everything including furniture, household items, books, bikes and building materials.

Reverse Garbage is great for art, craft, costume making, DIY projects or anything requiring some creative flair. They also run regular workshops if you need inspiration or you want to hone your skills.

You can visit both at 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, 7 days a week.

Read more about what to do with your waste in our Disposal and Re-use Guide.