Tweed JUNKtion Tip Shop expands to meet demand

TIP shops have always been places for chance discoveries, exciting hubs for opportunistic buyers, some arriving with a plan, others merely enjoying the thrill of a treasure hunt among discarded goods.
With a major upgrade of the Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre officially opened on 15 June, the JUNKtion Tip Shop now offers a larger, better organised retail space, along with a separate site entrance and parking – changes designed to keep pace with local demand.

Council’s education officer Angie Burnheim said that popularity has always been a defining feature of the JUNKtion Tip Shop, with some customers treating it almost like a weekly ritual.

“The Junktion Tip Shop has always been popular with almost fanatical locals and visitors, some of whom are here every week at opening time on a Wednesday,” Burnheim said.

For Burnheim, the recent expansion has helped the tip shop better accommodate what she described as a “steady flow of customers looking for affordable, quality second-hand items, as well as a high volume of donations coming through each day.”

 

“With much more space available, we’re now able to display a greater range of items keeping the shop better organised, and create a comfortable and enjoyable experience for customers,” she said.

She added that the extra space is also helping reduce waste by allowing more items to be redirected back into use, rather than heading to landfill, as well as allowing shoppers to browse in all weather, rather than being limited by outdoor conditions.

“It has also improved our ability to sort, store and present recovered items more efficiently,” she said.
“This means we can save more items from landfill and make them available to the community, giving our shoppers an opportunity to inspect them in any weather.”

From furniture and homewares through to bikes, tools, garden gear and clothing, Burnheim said that the shop attracts a wide mix of buyers.

She said that the diverse scale of goods on offer means customers might come in for one item and leave with a boot full of materials they suddenly realise could suit a project they hadn’t even planned earlier that day.

“Some people come in looking for a bike and walk out with the car full of pavers, paint or a pile of ceramic tiles they can see fitting into a project they just imagined,” she said.

She said the unpredictability is part of the appeal.

“There’s a real mix and part of the appeal is that you never know what you might find – it’s a bit of a treasure hunt,” she said.

 

Burnheim said the shop’s popularity is also being seen as part of a broader shift in how the community thinks about waste and consumption.

“The popularity of the Tip Shop reflects a shift in the community’s mindset towards waste and consumption, whilst helping Council drive the circular economy message,” she said.

“We’re seeing more people actively choosing to reuse and repurpose items rather than buying new, which shows a growing awareness of sustainability and the impact of waste.”

That shift is also being picked up by younger residents, with Burnheim noting increasing involvement from local schools and youth.

“Recently, a group of high school students came through the Tip Shop to source materials to build billy carts for the Bangalow Billy Cart Derby,” she said.

“We also incorporate scavenger hunts into our excursion days, giving students a hands-on way to learn about recycling, reuse, and what can be recovered from the waste stream.”

She said the recently expanded space also creates opportunities to run repair workshops and other hands-on learning activities, further embedding reuse into everyday practice.