Eons ago, I visited Reverse Garbage when it was in West End. We headed there to buy some bits and bobs to make costumes for the kids for my fancy dress 40th party. I hadn’t really had cause to re-visit, but a recent return reminded me what an amazing resource this business is.
The concept behind Reverse Garbage is simple. To stop items from heading towards landfill and give them a second or third life. A large proportion of items are manufacturing discards with an eclectic mix of donated items that are no longer required. On the day we visited, there were dozens of banners and flags from a recent food festival.
Visiting the warehouse will fire your imagination. It is a one stop shop for teachers and local artists and should most definitely be your first stop when you need to organise or decorate for a party. There is everything from old props and decorations, excess cups and all manner of shiny, glittery things. There are fabric offcuts, padding, foam, beads, buttons and more. Anyone who can’t pull together a fancy-dress outfit from what’s on offer, just isn’t trying.
There’s also a wide array of salvaged hardware and building materials. Picture framing offcuts, dowel, screws and bolts of all sizes. Our most recent visit was in search of replacing a very small louvre in our bathroom. We needed something that was slightly flexible, to fit into the existing tight frame. Some hunting around in the plastic offcuts produced an excellent find of a length of clear acrylic that we could cut with a hacksaw. It was less than $2 and perfect for our needs.
It’s Addictive!
Be Warned! Visiting Reverse Garbage is like visiting the $2 shop or Daiso. It’s very, very easy to buy a bag full of things that you didn’t know you wanted or needed until you saw them. If you don’t want your spare room to look like an outpost of Reverse Garbage, you should only go when you have an explicit purpose. I only visit when I am looking for a specific item and only then take the chance to have a wider browse.
Reverse Garbage Queensland is now located in the industrial back blocks of Woolloongabba, just near Dutton Park station. Check the website for details and follow on Facebook for up to date posts on new stock that has arrived.
Reverse Garbage Qld – www.reversegarbageqld.com.au/
Reverse Garbage on Facebook – www.facebook.com/reversegarbageqld/
I will never visit Bunnings again without a trip to Reverse Garbage first.
Yes we’ve been there. It’s a very interesting place!
I can’t stay away. Very dangerous! Certainly not a place for for minimalists.