Our East Gippsland Second-hand Guide highlights opportunities for donating and buying second-hand throughout the region via second-hand dealers, op shops and community markets. Other options include online markets (Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, Buy Swap and Sell pages) and garage sales (find listings on community notice boards and local papers).

Donating good quality items (clothing, furniture, homewares, books, tools and household goods) keeps them in use for longer, reduces demand for new products, and helps divert valuable materials from landfill. Choosing to buy second-hand as much as can supports local charities and community groups while reducing your waste and saving you money.

Parents, guardians and teachers, we also offer an East Gippsland Second-hand Guide colouring-in version.‍

Bairnsdale Recycling Enterprise Inc runs the Tip Shop at Bairnsdale Landfill as a social enterprise to help divert waste from landfill while providing employment. Operating hours are the same as for Bairnsdale Landfill.  

Boomerang Bags – One million plastic bags are used every minute and 10.46 million tonnes of fabric waste are created each year. To help tackle this waste problem, Boomerang Bags takes donated textiles and creates re-usable fabric bags as alternatives to single-use plastic shopping bags. Local Boomerang Bag groups are located in East Gippsland at Twin Rivers Lions and Lakes Entrance Nowa Nowa.

FIX – is an initiative of the SLIPWAY in Lakes Entrance where community members gather to socialise while taking part in textile workshops to celebrate the 'stitcher's circular economy' and actively re-use, repair, recycle and re-make textiles. FIX runs out of Slipway Shed #2, 480 Esplanade, Lakes Entrance.