Bargains you can’t refuse
The Tip Top shop at Noosa
Over the last eight years the Sunshine Coast's landfill sites have sprouted amazing little shops and markets selling useful stuff in good condition that's been chucked by its previous owner, as well as creative works made from discarded materials. What's more, the enterprises at council tips mean spin offs in the form of employment, community service, schools and training programs.
Whether you're looking for an original sculpture, a unique piece of furniture, or something more prosaic like some pavers, a gate or a doorknob, you just might find it for a bargain price at one of these shops.
Eight years ago Glenda Lane, manager of the Noosa Community Training Centre (NCTC) approached the Noosa Council with the idea of hiring and training unemployed people to rescue and resell items that had been cast off as junk and at the same time reduce the quantity of waste going into landfill.
Her project took off - it outgrew its shed in just six months and became Brite Side Industries. They now employ nine people and operate the Tip Top Tip Shop at the Noosa dump. Currently their training programs are in waste management and retail, but have previously covered horticulture and furniture manufacture.
As well as offering cheap, interesting and useful goods for sale to the public, the enterprise is a creative outlet for employees and trainees to take discarded materials such as wood and metal and make unique pieces of furniture and household items.
Carpenters Col Rodwell and Greg Shallis manage the recently expanded Tip Top Tip Shop and pass on their expertise to trainees. The new shed adds considerably to the retail space; their original showroom is a cottage that once housed the Noosa life saving club in Hastings Street, aptly recycled.
"The stuff we make depends on the materials available and the potential you can see in the timber," Mr Rodwell said. "We do tables, chopping blocks, benches and smaller elaborate items, but it needs to sell. We used to take orders for special items, but there's the problem of inconsistency of materials and we can only use the resources we're given."
Their finished products can be found throughout the community, from cubbies in childcare centres to the boardroom table at Noosa Council.
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What a brilliant idea, should catch on and give kids today more opportunities for training in the art of producing useful articles from waste materials.
Love Perusing your blog... always interesting. Thankyou!!!