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April 18, 2024

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What do you do with the contents of a home when it’s no longer needed?

This challenge was met head-on by Sisters of Saint Joseph support staff when they were asked to clear the contents of a property in preparation for its sale. The house had a plethora of of furniture, kitchenware, bedding, gardening tools, fridges and freezers etc etc! What to do with it all?

In the spirit of Laudato Si’ and the Congregation’s commitment to the environment, minimising waste, and supporting those in need, the staff got to work. The aim was to avoid items going to landfill as much as possible.

After identifying and recording all the contents, staff considered the best place to donate, re-home, recycle, and upcycle.

Here’s how they did it…

  1. To a refugee family via Catholic Mission: Furniture, washing machine, fridge, household items, lamps, linens
  2. To local Sisters, including Temuka Convent at Mary MacKillop Place: furniture and household items
  3. To Vinnies: furniture and home décor
  4. Through the local Low Waste Living Facebook group, these connections were made:
    1. To Mogo (a charity supporting first nations people): Quilts/doonas
    2. To women’s rehabilitation centre: Towels, handtowels
    3. To repurpose for rugs and crafts: Non-donatable bedsheets
    4. To Filipino village: Pots and pans and kitchenware
    5. To local men’s shed: a saw
    6. To local public school (for gardening program and cooking): gardening products (e.g. fertilizer), gardening tools, kitchenware
    7. To community members: appliances, hairdryers, pictures, ladder, step stool, blanket rack, bathroom stool, medical rehab chair/footstool, table, PC monitors, double bed, tools, shoe polish, electric blanket, kitchenware, coat hangers
  5. To scrap metal: old metal kitchenware, ironing board
  6. To fabric recycling: old pillows, old throw pillows, stained bedspreads, stained sheets, old mattress protectors
  7. To Soft Landing recycling: mattresses
  8. To local e-repurposing (will be passed on for use if properly working, repaired if repairable, otherwise proper e-waste disposal): heaters, portable heaters, clock radios, pedestal fan, desk fan, electric blanket cabling, broken hairdryer
  9. To recycling: Soft plastics

Well done to everyone involved!