Written by Brianna Elliott
Canberra’s beloved secondhand goods and recycling organisation, The Green Shed, will be closing its doors as we know it on 31 May 2024.
This comes after a competitive process in which St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra / Goulburn (Vinnies) won the ACT Government contract for the reusable facilities at the Mugga Lane and Mitchell centres.
However, the two Civic Green Shed locations will be permanently closed, with no current plan for Vinnies to utilise these facilities.
The Green Shed’s Co-Owner, Charles Bigg-Wither, issued an official press release followed by a post to The Green Shed’s Facebook account on the morning of 13 March 2024. The announcement sent the Canberra community, social media, and local news outlets into an immediate frenzy, evoking support through comments, likes, and even a call for a petition.
This closure will dramatically impact ANU students, as many rely on The Green Shed for its affordable furniture, particularly when moving into sharehouses. Additionally, the wide range of clothes, accessories and knick-knacks is often a cheaper alternative to the Salvation Army or even Vinnies themselves.
An ANU student currently living in a sharehouse provided the Observer with a comment that echoes these sentiments, “The Green Shed closing is a loss to students, especially those moving out of college or into sharehouses”.
They continue to highlight that “[The Green Shed] offered a great place for students who needed affordable options for furniture and appliances, and also, simply a fun place to look for decorations and design inspiration that was within a student budget”.
In the announcement, Vinnies and The Green Shed have also guaranteed that “all workers of the Green Shed will be offered employment by Vinnies, reducing impacts to them”.
However, despite this assurance, after telling his 84 staff members and workers they would no longer have a position, Mr Bigg Wither commented, “as you can imagine, we are all just a little devastated”.
Executive Branch Manager for ACT No Waste, Dr Margaret Kitchin, notes that while “change is challenging”, this change of contract and closure “does not take away from the contributions of the Green Shed” made to the Canberra region over the past decade.
Dr Kitchin assures the public that “Vinnies will also reduce material sent to landfill with an ambitious target of reducing this by 10-30% over the next four years”. By following The Green Shed’s sustainability and community-based footsteps Dr Kitchen continues to emphasise that Vinnies will also “have a dedicated education space made available for the delivery of workshops, repair activities and structured education”.
Despite this reassurance about reducing waste and the protection of jobs, students and the wider Canberra community are still concerned about where they can purchase secondhand furniture as Vinnies’ furniture options are severely limited compared to The Green Shed’s. Furthermore, without the reusable and recycling centres, there is uncertainty regarding where unwanted furniture can be donated after the closure of The Green Shed.
Graphics by Annisa Zatalini
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