Environmental Initiatives

This initiative, supported by City of Newcastle and Wallsend Town Business Association, aims to increase op shop volunteers, extend weekend trading, promote the environmental and social benefits of op shops, and highlight Nelson Street’s unique and diverse mix of op shops and cafes.

We are working with Wallsend Village and City of Newcastle to help reduce cigarette butt littering in the area – through community engagement and education, the installation of butt bins and signage, and enforcement strategies.

This project is a NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy initiative, funded from the waste levy.

We engaged the community in a collaborative art project using textiles from local op shops that were otherwise destined for landfill or export. This project was supported by City of Newcastle.

This fun environmental education event run by Purple Card Project teaches participants how to create their own Christmas ornaments from waste materials.

This initiative was funded by City of Newcastle and run in collaboration with Newcastle Libraries and Upcycle Newcastle. 

Community members brought clothing items in for repair, and were educated on how to do it themselves next time!

As part of the Wallsend Op Shop Trail project, several walking tours were run in collaboration with local environmental organisation – Renewy Living. 

Participants were taken on a relaxing tour of the Trail, learnt about the social and environmental benefits of op shops and gained many tips and tricks for successful second hand shopping!

We held a litter and sustainable living education stall at a local shopping centre for World Environment Day, and handed out eco-goody bags to all participants.

We co-ordinated a clean-up kit community activation program and raised funding for 10 clean-up kits. We gave these to 10 local ‘Doers’ who were eager to clean-up their local area and record details in our Little Litter Audit.

We facilitated and helped raise funds for another social enterprise, Boxhead Plastics, to collect and recycle scrap plastic car bumper bars from a Wallsend-based smash repairer, that would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

This initiative was funded by City of Newcastle and run in collaboration with local organisation, Curious Legends. 

Community members were shown how to create spooky costumes for Halloween, using upcycled textiles sourced along the Wallsend Op Shop Trail.