‘The Shed’ comes courtesy of former The Green Shed employee Adam Charif. Photo: The Shed, Facebook.
Welcome to ‘The Shed’.
It’s been more than a year since The Green Shed lost its ACT Government contract to run the recycling and reuse centres at the Mugga Lane and Mitchell “resource management centres” to the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Goodies Junction.
And now it’s back. Well, sort of.
The Shed, as it’s called, opens next week at 3/34 Geelong Street in Fyshwick. It’s the brainchild of a former manager of The Green Shed.
And according to the description on its Facebook page, it’s all about “affordable, quality pre-loved goods for Canberrans”.
“We give items a second chance while helping our community and the planet. Following the legacy of The Green Shed, we’re proud to continue the spirit of recycling, reusing, and giving back,” it says.
Adam Charif – also founder of removalist company Adam And His Truck and organiser of the Queanbeyan Markets – worked at The Green Shed’s Mugga Lane facility for seven years, five as supervisor.
“I started out pushing trolleys a couple of days a week and then started managing the sheds and associated businesses full-time,” he told Region.
“The Green Shed was like a family to me. They really mentored me and set the standard for how I’ll run The Shed.
“What I loved most was the way the community gave so much, and the Green Shed always gave back locally. That’s what I want to carry on here. If someone loses their house in a fire, or they’re in emergency housing, I want to be able to say, ‘I’ve got you – what do you need?’ That’s the most important thing to me.”
Since starting his own furniture removal business, Mr Charif said he’s been left with “a lot of stock to get rid of” but precious few places in Canberra to take it to.
“A lot of charities are full in Canberra, so the stock is getting knocked back because they’re full. But I just want to keep everything out of landfill.”
Recycling and reuse are at the heart of The Shed’s mission. Photo: The Shed, Facebook.
While they’re officially unconnected, The Green Shed’s founders – Charlie Bigg-Wither and Sandie Parkes and son Tom Bigg-Wither – are expected to attend the official launch of The Shed either later this week or early next.
“Adam is doing his own thing and is unaffiliated with TGS proper, which is something I and my family continue to work on, based out of my shop, The Green Shed Underground,” Tom told Region.
His father, Charlie, has previously expressed an “aspirational goal” to reopen The Green Shed as a “recycling mall”, loosely based on ReTuna Återbruksgalleria in Sweden.
According to this model, donations are categorised by items such as reusable toys, furniture, clothes, decorative items, and electronic devices, and distributed to various recycling shops within the mall.
“The shop staff then perform a second culling, where they choose what they want to repair, fix up, convert, refine and ultimately sell,” the mall’s website reads.
Mr Charif said The Shed would follow the legacy of the original The Green Shed, and “donations of good-quality items will be welcome”.
“Your generosity keeps the cycle going.”
The Shed will be open to community donations. Photo: The Shed, Facebook.
He said the project is funded “all out of my own back pocket”, but he’s been “blown away” by the response from the community so far.
“I’m getting no government support at all – no subsidies, no money, no grants, nothing … and I’m just trying to give it a go. Life is too stupidly expensive at the moment.”
For details about opening times and when you can make a donation, visit The Shed on Facebook. The Shed is located at 3/34 Geelong Street in Fyshwick.
