The Garage Sale Trail is expected to help hundreds of struggling locals when it returns to the Central Coast in November.
Giving modern context to the old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the Garage Sale Trail was launched in 2010 to reduce Australia’s landfill and promote ethical consumerism.
Since then, it has become the nation’s largest community sustainability event.
With the pandemic having wrought havoc on the nation’s finances, this year’s Trail is also set to serve as a great way for Northerners to make some quick cash, with the average household who participated in 2019’s event bringing in $300, while community groups and schools that took part made around $1,500.
Charmhaven’s Roslyn Gibbons is one local who’s already signed on for this year’s Trail.
A lover of all things vintage, Gibbons has over 500 items ready to sell and she’s hoping that locals will turn out in droves to support their neighbours on Trail days.
“I’ve been a second-hand shopper all of my adult life and I just love the preloved.”
With her parents imparting their love of Art Deco to her, Gibbons said she’d always enjoyed thrifting, but it wasn’t until she began furnishing her first home that the value of the practice really hit her.
Now a regular bargain hunter, Gibbons has dozens of second hand pieces found at garage sales, antique stores and markets, that she’s upcycled to meet her needs.
“People always hope that the garage sale, market or wherever they’ve gone will have the perfect item for them, but I think the real fun is in finding that special something you weren’t looking for.
“And that’s the true beauty of these types of events, you never know what you’ll find.”
Central Coast Council is an event partner and is also encouraging locals to take advantage of the unique event.
“Our communities’ enthusiasm for upcycling and second hand shopping resulted in over 150,000 items being given a new life and saved over 112,000kgs of preloved items from potential landfill at last year’s event,” said Council Unit Manager for Waste Services and Business Development, Andrew Pearce.
“By diverting these resources from landfill, the event has positive impacts for our environment and helps to show how reuse and recycling benefits the community, with last year’s event generating $97,000 worth of sales for the local economy.
“If you have something in good or reasonable condition that you are thinking of throwing out, how about trying to sell it instead?
“Grab the opportunity to join this incredible movement and help the Central Coast community beat our 2019 record of 513 garage sales registered,” he added.
This year’s Trail is also introducing new online sales for those unable to travel or leave their homes due to the pandemic.
For those hosting or shopping at physical sales, Garage Sale Trail will provide guidelines to ensure that COVID-19 restrictions and safety precautions are in place.
Council’s participation in the 2020 Garage Sale Trail weekend is fully funded through a grant from the NSW Government Better Waste Recycling Fund.
Garage Sale Trail will run over the weekend of November 21-22.
Dilon Luke