As experts warn against the dangers of overconsumption, stall-holders at one of Sydney’s iconic markets have turned to other people’s rubbish to make their products more sustainable.
Australia is estimated to have around 75.8 million tonnes of unused waste and many individuals have seen this as an opportunity
At Kirribilli markets in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge, you’ll find many businesses making treasure from trash, some selling items created from materials found in local waters or on the side of the road to produce other products for sale.
Founder and owner of Serendipity Salvage, Lisa Wynn, has found that interest in her business has grown considerably in recent years. She creates art and jewellery from found bottles and sea glass alongside other material she’s has collected over the years from the ocean.
Showing off her work she said “These are my found objects. I love walking the shore, and these became the things I love to pick up
Instead of just saving them in drawers or bottles, I started to put them together entirely”.
Beyond her local beach, Mrs Wynn also uses discarded bottles from the Sydney Harbour found by her and her partner David.
“We discovered that there are bottles everywhere in the harbour and so we just started obsessively snorkelling and collecting them”. Mrs Wynn said
“Then we began learning about the history of the different bottles and how to date them and so on.” she explained.
They go out at least twice a week, collecting the forgotten waste for Serendipity Salvage products and sell to others with an interest in the glass and age of the bottles.
Fellow stall-holder Gail Clayton of Gail Clayton Designs, has found her passion transforming discarded wood into something new. Ms Clayton finds her materials on the side of the road, often grabbing furniture left by households in their spring clean or big move.
“The first piece of timber I picked up was a piece of spotted gum floorboards and so that’s when I started the whole journey of using recycled timber.” Mrs Clayton said.
From the rubbish she makes handcrafted kitchen-ware such as wooden spoons, bowls and vases, all items that people can use in their everyday lives and would often be bought from less sustainable brands.
Mrs Clayton finds that people have taken an interest not just in the products but also the story behind the recycling of the wood and how it’s being used to create in a more sustainable way.
“I think people love the fact that it’s recycled, and they love that fact that that’s the main selling point,” Mrs Clayton said
“I think it exposes to people what can be made or repurposed, and they don’t probably necessarily think that spoons or cooking utensils can be made from repurposed timber.”
The amount of waste that is produced each year has grown with the population however repurposing and recycling can reduce our impact on the environment significantly.
The practice not only saves items from landfill but assists in conserving resources and reducing emissions that would’ve come from making the products from scratch.
The Kirribilli Markets will be back October 26th.