What’s the best bargain you’ve ever found at a garage sale? There’s no doubt that garage sales are full of hidden treasures just waiting to be uncovered. But did you realise that garage sales can also play an important role in the war on waste? With millions of tonnes of waste being sent to landfill by Australian households each year, the humble garage sale is an easy way to reuse and recycle pre-loved goods. Second Hand Saturday is the biggest coordinated garage sale day on the north coast. This year it will be held on Saturday 23 September across Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed local council areas. With over 1,000 garage sales held across the north coast as part of last year’s event, 2017 is set to be bigger than ever. Linda Tohver from North East Waste is inviting people to get involved in this year’s event by registering to hold a garage sale. “Second Hand Saturday is all about encouraging people to participate in reuse and recycling activities through holding a garage sale and taking advantage of the free promotion, or by going along to a garage sale to find a bargain,” she says. According to Linda, Second Hand Saturday is about much more than just earning some extra cash or finding a second hand bargain. “Selling pre-loved goods and buying second hand is one of the best ways that we can work together as a community to reduce the amount of ‘stuff’ ending up in landfill,” says Linda. “The feedback that we received from garage sale holders after last year’s event was fantastic. People said that they sold lots of items, but they also enjoyed the social aspect and meeting other people on the day. Others said that it felt like they were part of something special and they loved being able to spread the reuse message and promote less waste to landfill,” says Linda. “Every year we have people from across the north coast join in the fun of Second Hand Saturday, from those who have never held a garage sale before to those who are garage sale experts. It’s a great opportunity for a giant fundraiser for your local club or you might like to get together with neighbours for a huge street sale. There’s always a fun community spirit with plenty of people out and about checking out the sales on the day.” Second Hand Saturday will be held on Saturday 23 September, with an optional ‘leftovers’ day to be held the following weekend on Saturday 30 September. Registrations are now open with garage sales to be promoted for free in local newspapers, online and through the Second Hand Saturday app. Second Hand Saturday is coordinated by North East Waste on behalf of its member north coast Councils and is funded by the NSW EPA’s Waste Less Recycle More initiative. To register your garage sale and find out more visit www.secondhandsaturday.com.au and follow Second Hand Saturday on Facebook and Instagram.