Regional Success: MidCoast Council

​With the transition to a circular economy now firmly on the agenda across New South Wales and significant per capita waste generation targets to achieve, MidCoast Council, along with 80 other councils across the country, are taking a community-driven approach through the Garage Sale Trail program.

Now in its 12th year across Australia, Garage Sale Trail is a waste education and behaviour change program, which centres around a two-weekend festival of garage sales in November. 

Enabled by councils but powered by the local community, the program saw over 6% of the MidCoast population get involved in 2022, with 6,308 residents choosing to sell or shop secondhand over the two weekends of garage sales.

Results of a recently released report by Taverner Research Group into the Garage Sale Trail program in MidCoast have shown a win-win for council and residents alike, with 84,252 kilograms of items reused and $120,030 generated for the local economy through the sale of unwanted household goods.

In their first year of partnering with the Garage Sale Trail, MidCoast Council exceeded their initial targets with over 80 residents registering either a group or individual sale.

Manager of MidCoast Council Waste Services, Mr David Rees, explained

​ “It’s a great way to reuse items you may no longer want. Keeping stuff in use for as long as you can by buying or selling it at a garage sale makes sense for the planet and makes cents for participants. It’s the circular economy in action and it’s something all MidCoast residents can get behind”

​MIDCOAST MEDIA EXAMPLES

As well as creating short term impact, the latest research also reveals longer term benefits, with 27% of participants saying they will now buy secondhand products over new in the future.

The impacts extend well beyond waste too. The average seller in MidCoast pocketed $1,363 and met 47 people in their local community, highlighting the social and economic impacts circular economy programs can bring.