Secondhand Sunday to trial Golden Bay-wide garage sale
A Golden Bay-wide “free garage sale” called Secondhand Sunday is being organised by TDC for Sunday 17 April.
It is a pilot scheme aimed at reducing the amount of reusable “stuff” going to landfill. It works like this: at 9am in the morning, participating residents put out any useful items they no longer want—which isn’t allowed to include any food, dangerous goods such as chemicals, faulty electrical equipment and definitely no rubbish. Registering beforehand will mean your address is included in the advertised list of participating residents, but this is not mandatory as the green poster that goes up on your letterbox or driveway on the day is freely available from TDC’s website, Takaka office, Takaka Memorial Library and Collingwood General Store.
TDC environmental educator Clare Webster said that egistration will definitely increase the chances that your items will be collected.
“The idea is that everything is just given away. It’s like a big garage sale without any money changing hands. The old saying of ‘one person’s rubbish is another’s treasure’ is what this all hinges on, and that by having less rubbish to throw out and going out collecting we are actually cleaning up. At 1pm, we just ask participating residents to pack up any of their offerings that haven’t been taken away and take them all back inside.”
Claire says the pilot idea is borrowed from the a similar and highly successful arrangement organised by the Gisborne District Council and is similar to inorganic collections conducted in Auckland, with the difference that up there the council actually goes around and picks up the stuff that is put out and takes it to a central collection area for people to sort through.
“Up in Auckland it was instigated as a way of reducing the amount of rubbish getting illegally dumped, but we just don’t have the resources to do the pickups. We’re just asking that everyone participate to make this a successful event. If it is, then we’ll run it again and in other parts of Tasman as well.”
So how do you get involved? Register by filling in the form at TDC’s Takaka office, Takaka Library, Collingwood General Store, by contacting council at 525 0020 before 4pm on Thursday 14 April or at 2ndhand@tasman.govt.nz with your full address so people can find your property. Identify a suitable and visible site at the property boundary such as the driveway, or next to the letterbox, where items to be given away are to be placed. On Sunday between 9am and 1pm, display the sign on your letterbox or fence (or any obvious place) so people know you have items to give away. Use the green pamphlet as your sign, collect another from the council or download one from the website.
Once your items have all gone, put a note on your box saying “Sorry, all gone”. Be there to keep an eye on what is happening and to meet local fossickers. By 1pm remove the sign and pack up anything left over. A full list of participating addresses will be available at council, the library and on the TDC website, www.tasman.govt.nz
Any comments about the event can be sent to Claire Webster on 525 0020 or by emailing her on Claire.webster@tasman.govt.nz
Gerard Hindmarsh
