About the shop

The shop offers free and low-priced preloved items, and includes upcycling, reuse and recycling collection, and workshops. Proceeds from sales go towards running costs and future Darebin Hard Rubbish Heroes’ events, which include raising funds for local charities. The shop is volunteer led and run.

The reLOVE Pop-up provides an opportunity for usable, preloved items to be rehomed. It's just one of the options for rehoming usable preloved items instead of putting them on the nature strip for Darebin hard rubbish collection and risking them being crushed and going to landfill.

Other options include donating and selling to other organisations. Read some of the suggestions on the Darebin City Council website.

DHRH is running this project as a pilot to test the feasibility of an ongoing repair, reuse, recycle and upcycle space.

Rehoming – no longer accepting donations as we're closing on 30 July.

We're no longer accepting donations because we're closing on 30 July. The shop has been a two-month pilot project.

Items we were accepting:

We will accept items in good condition with all working parts. We cannot accept anything with rips or stains, chips or cracks, rust, mould or damp. Large items can’t be accepted as we don’t have the space.

  • Accessories: hats, scarves, glasses, bags, jewellery, belts etc

  • Art and craft supplies, paints, pencils, brushes, canvases, papers, tools

  • Kitchenware: crockery, cutlery, utensils, pots and pans, bakeware

  • Décor: small decorative homewares such as cushions, paintings, picture frames, figurines, throw rugs, mats, vases, clocks, lamps

  • Electrical appliances – small only, such as toasters, kettles, irons

  • Fabric and sewing supplies, buttons, threads etc

  • Games & puzzles

  • Gardening: tools, pots - not lawn mowers or wheelbarrows - too big for our small space!

  • Jewellery

  • Luggage: carry-on size suitcases (not huge ones!), backpacks

  • Napery: tablecloths, table napkins, runners, placemats, tea-towels

  • Sports equipment: rackets, balls,

  • Stationery

  • Toys – small, clean, good condition and kids’ dress ups


Items we weren't accepting:

  • Alcohol

  • Baby goods – consider donating to Big Group Hug – send photos to donategoods@biggrouphug.org

  • Bean bags

  • Books - we are only accepting very good condition children's books now.

  • Bikes

  • Cassette tapes

  • CDs

  • Crockery with chips or cracks

  • Clothes or shoes

  • DVDs

  • Fans: pedestal fans

  • Food or drink – consider donating to a local food pantry – ask on your local good karma network for locations.

  • Fireworks/Explosives/Guns or toy guns

  • Furniture – consider donating to RIMERN – send photos to donatedgoods@rimern.org.au

  • Gas bottles

  • Large household appliances such as microwaves, fridges, computers, TVs – consider donating to RIMERN – send photos to donatedgoods@rimern.org.au

  • Large luggage

  • Lawn mowers, compost bins

  • Medicines

  • Manchester (bedroom linen) unless new

  • Mattresses

  • Mobility aids

  • Pillows

  • Plants

  • Textbooks

  • Toy guns

  • Toys that are big such as doll’s house, slides, toy kitchens

  • Tyres

Upcycling

We are selling products made by local makers from preloved materials.

Charity and recycling collection

A charity and recycling collection station is available for residents to drop off hard-to-recycle items. DHRH and Span Community House Thornbury are delivering these to appropriate reuse and recycling streams.

Charity and recycling collection has been a feature of previous DHRH events and has resulted in significant amounts being saved from landfill.

Items you can drop off at our collection station

Please note that we're collecting and distributing these items to others who use or recycle them – we're not processing any materials.

Please only bring items on the list below as we're a collection point and not a recycling facility, and we're volunteer-run so we don't have the resources to deal with other items.

  • Bread tags for Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs

  • Corks for DHRH projects -and for members to take

  • Egg Cartons for Span composting system

  • Elastic bands – for Birds & Beans Community Café Reservoir Community House

  • Fridge magnets for DHRH for kinder/childcare projects

  • Incomplete games & game pieces for DHRH member to create full games

  • Linen (manchester and napery) for Team Jake

  • Mobile phones (Undamaged) for Domestic Violence Safe Phone Program

  • Moisture absorbing sachets

  • Plastic bottle tops for local business recycling program

  • Plastic cards (old credit/loyalty cards) for Span Precious Plectrums

  • Plastic containers mismatched tops and bottom for Span/DHRH Useful Tubs Project

  • Prescription glasses for Specsavers/other recycling programs

  • Tote bags/Handbags for Share the Dignity

  • Towels for pet rescue and Team Jake

Workshops

Workshops will be offered after-hours or on weekends. These will include:

  • hard-rubbish-preparation information sessions – to provide advice about alternatives to putting items out for hard rubbish/landfill

  • repair workshops, for example, replacing cords on small electrical items such as lamps (cutting cords from usable items is a problem during hard rubbish time, possibly for collection of copper in the cords)

  • upcycling workshops for participants to create items from rescued materials.

Workshops will be offered from mid-June.

Community notice board

A community notice board will be a prominent feature in the shop to promote local charities who rehome preloved items, such as RIMERN and Big Group Hug.

We invite local repair, recycling and upcycling businesses to promote themselves on the notice board.

If you work with or represent a care agency, charity or business that rehomes preloved, or offers repair and refurbishing services please contact us if you'd like to be included. You may even run a small local removal service that may be of interest to locals needing to rehome large items.


Get in touch via emaildhrh@gmail.com if you need accessible access.


Screen grab of Darebin Hard Rubbish Heroes Instagram account relove.dhrh

DHRH on Instagram –relove.dhrh