WiserEarth Area of Focus Stewards

Reverse Garbage Cooperative Ltd. is a registered not-for-profit cooperative and is one of Australia's best known and most highly regarded creative re-use organisations. We have been operating since 1974 and are self-sustaining, community-based and committed to minimising resource depletion.

There are four main areas of activity within Reverse Garbage:

1. Resource Re-use

The Resource Re-use operations make available industrial and commercial discards, off-cuts and over-runs to creative and practical people, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

Our Re-use Centre in Marrickville provides high quality, low priced, useful and unusual materials for use in arts, craft, education, small business, home renovation and other activities. We are well known and respected in the education, child care, community and arts sectors as people can purchase a huge variety of useful materials from one central location.

2. Education

Reverse Garbage Educational Services delivers a wide range of educational workshops and programs, using Reverse Garbage materials to promote environmental awareness and creativity.

Our educational activities include environmental education programmes for schools, creative workshops at major community events, kids craft activities, train the trainer craft classes, how to re-use workshops, waste education campaigns for local councils and environmental organisations.

3. Environmental Promotions Products

Reverse Garbage offers a range of promotional services such as environmental education performances and games, production of promotional aides - all made with reused materials.

We produce displays, banners, mascots and signs. Our creative production team can design eye catching promotions to ensure your event is a huge success as well being environmentally friendly.

4. Consultancy

Reverse Garbage Consultancy Services provides advice, project management and delivery services to help business, government and community organisations develop and meet waste reduction goals.

Our consultancy services have been used by a broad range of clients concerned with waste management, including the Australia Council, NSW Department of Community Services, NSW Environment Protection Authority, the Environmental Education Trust, regional waste boards, local government, community organisations and business.

An example page from their website:

Many of our products are sold by volume:
$20.00 a hessian bag full ($25 mail/internet order): bag measures1000mm x 580mm

By Individual Item: Everything else is individually priced!

Some of our items we obtain on a regular basis. Others are semi regular, or are one off items. Below are some examples of the diverse materials we make available (please note that although the following are regularly stocked, they are not always available):

Plastics
Perspex, polypropylene, moulded and extruded shapes, gasket punchouts, PVC, 0-rings, acetate, expanded polystyrene (sheets, blocks and shapes), lidded containers, bubble wrap, closed cell foam, EVA.

Fabrics
Rolls, swatches, sample books, cotton stripping, fake fur, felt, large textile off-cuts, quilting fabrics, holland blind rolls.



Leather
Belts, rolls, skins, offcuts (larger than hand size).

Haberdashery materials
Bias binding, cushion and toy filling, buttons, cotton and wool thread, belts, clips, shoulder pads, braid, ribbon, buttons.

Computers
We have a wide range of computer products ranging from old collectible MACs and PCs (Apple IIe, 386, AMIGA etc) through to P1 through to P4 2.4GHz and G3/G4 towers. We also have a wide range of storage options including USB, SCSI, FireWire and Fcal JBODS and RAID arrays. Printers are also available including low running cost lasers and inkjets. All products are tested beforehand so you know that they are working. Also keyboards, mice, speakers, cables, circuit boards, power supplies,etc.



Electricals & Electronics
Stereos, Ghetto Blasters, Phonographs, cables, combo CD/Tuner/Casette, modular amps, tuners, CD and speakers. They're all here starting from a low $5.00.



Stationery
Home and office stationery including envelopes, paper, manilla folders, ring binders, hanging files, mouse pads, adhesive labels, calenders, diaries.

Paper & Cardboard
Rolls and sheets of coloured and white paper, greeting cards, post cards, maps, posters. Boxes in good condition large and small, sheets, corrugated cardboard, cones, silver shred.



Coreflute/Foamcore/Perspex/Mountboard
New clean offcuts of plastics/Nylons and Card ideal for framing, making signs, sculpture, etc.



Office Furniture
Tables, chairs, filing cabinets, desks, bookshelves.



Containers
Cardboard fibre drums, plastic drums, metal drums boxes.



Display materials
Mannequins, decorations, novelty display objects, display cases and stands.



Paints
Great for art and around the home. Various types of paints including; 
- Household paints - $1/Litre 
- Screen pritning paints - $2 - $15 various sizes



Wood products
De-nailed timber, MDF, laminated particle board, veneer, picture frames.



Other
Springs, wheels, rubber, audio and video cassettes, moulds, scourer offcuts, wool, games, scientific equipment, building materials vinly LP's.

Who uses Reverse Garbage?

Teachers, artists, community workers and others have always used discards and offcuts from industry for creative and educational uses. This has not always been successful as factories have found it difficult dealing with individuals who do not have a systematic and reliable means of collection. As well, most people do not have the time or resources to access the scale and variety of reusable materials that factories produce. So, in 1975 teachers, community workers and parents set up an industrial Re-use Centre and purchased a truck to collect materials from all over Sydney.