In early April, Marrickville’s Reverse Garbage, the environmental sustainability organisation, opened an exciting new shopfront in Redfern – appropriately named ReConsidered.
Reverse Garbage’s dedication to developing and researching new ways to increase the reuse of materials and decrease the amount of valuable resources heading to landfill, is what their new shop ReConsidered is all about. The new shop space features a range of unique interior décor and furnishings, along with sustainable art. “ReConsidered is about showcasing what you can do with upcycling and giving new life and purpose to items whilst also challenging the notion of what is waste,” says manager Shaye Harty.
The choice to open a store in Redfern has been of particular importance for Reverse Garbage as it has allowed the notion of upcycling to go beyond the barriers of Marrickville and reach a new demographic of Sydney. “My vision and philosophy is about injecting community back into Redfern,” says Reverse Garbage CEO Narelle Mantle. “This is not a project about individuals making money, it is about looking after each other and promoting care and responsibility for one another and our environment.”
“ReConsidered seeks to inspire others to literally reconsider the notion of what is ‘waste’ and ‘garbage’ and to see value and function in materials which have been thrown to the wayside,” continues Narelle. “This is not just another expensive furniture shop – we house unique items at affordable prices.”
Some of these rare finds have also been lovingly restored or upcycled by Reverse Garbage’s ReStore and ReCreate Team – a creative collective of staff artists, educators and designers committed to the organisation’s mission to practice reuse and work exclusively with only reuse materials. Indeed, head into the shop yourself and you will discover many interesting little treasures – a standout being the chandelier constructed from clear plastic coat hangers. “To us, this shop is all about having fun and communicating and connecting with people to show the potential of everyday undermined objects,” says worker Lou McDonald.
Local artists who have a passion for recycled art also have the chance to promote their work at ReConsidered. A space on site is dedicated for a monthly exhibit of artworks and art installations to explore the concept of reusing materials to create art.
