Thrift Market and Circular Economy Fair
Pick up some preloved items and learn from leaders in sustainability!
The Donate, Don't Waste project was created as part of the University of Melbourne's Wattle Fellowship. Household items were collected from student accommodation venues, kindly donated and saved from landfill.
At this Thrift Market, students will be able to purchase the items to highlight how donating, swapping, reusing and upcycling can have a positive impact on the planet. All of the profits generated from the market will go towards a plant propagation and nature strip project by Moonee Valley Sustainability that will involve UoM students and staff.
The University community are also invited to learn about the circular economy and the innovative work of organisations including the SCR Group, Zero Plastics Australia, Moonee Valley Sustainability, North & West Melbourne Neighbourhood Centre, the Wholefoods Unwrapped Collective, the Everyday Recycler, Oxfam Unimelb, UMSU Welfare, the Sustainability Team and the Wattle Fellowship.
The Moonee Valley Repair Cafe will also be present to repair or fix your items for a small donation.
Make a sustainability pledge to enter into the Reuse Raffle to win the ultimate reuse prize sponsored by Put a Lid on It, Ethique, Moss and Pear, Precious Plastics Melbourne, Replated, Zero Plastics Australia, the Everyday Recycler, EMREN THE LABEL, North & West Melbourne Neighbourhood Centre, the Wholefoods Unwrapped Collective, Left-handdesign, The Arthly Box, War on Waste Cartel and Green Collect!
Supported by Packshare.
More about the project
Household items including clothing, bedding, kitchenware, stationery and e-waste were collected from student accommodation venues at the end of the semester. The project was inspired by the Op Shop at Queen’s College which collects items that students would otherwise have thrown away.
Project goals
- Save household waste from ending up in landfill.
- Redistribute household items to students who need them.
- Educate the University community about the circular economy.
Key stats
*Due to storage limitations, many of the items could not be weighed with approximately 30 wheelie bins donated to Diabetes Victoria and The Brotherhood of St Lawrence.
Student volunteers helped to categorise and weigh:
- 1152 kg of textiles
- 48 kg of bedding
- 54 kg of kitchenware
- 63 kg of stationery
- 13 kg of kitchenware
Damaged clothing was donated to Uparrel for recycling.
The need to upscale
This is only a portion of the waste that could have been recovered from the five accommodation venues, let alone the entire student body. With increased engagement with the University community through events like the Thrift Market, it is intended that we can firstly reduce waste at the source by rethinking our consumption habits, and secondly, ensure that we responsibly dispose of our items by donating, reusing, upcycling or recycling.
