New study reveals that 13.9 million items were reused in Tasmania in the 2023-24 financial year

A new study has given insight into how Tasmania’s circular economy works and its impact on the state as a whole. The results of the study.

Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board Chair Pam Allan with Charitable Reuse Australia CEO Omer Soker. Picture: Simon McGuire.

A new study estimates that Tasmanians saved $147m in the 2023-24 financial year by buying and selling second-hand goods.

The Tasmanian Reuse Impact Study also found that around 13.9 million items were reused in the state during the same period.

Statewide, around 414 people work full-time in the circular economy sector.

Charitable Reuse Australia conducted the study in partnership with the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board.

Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board Chair Pam Allan with Charitable Reuse Australia CEO Omer Soker. Picture: Simon McGuire.

Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board Chair Pam Allan said the state has a strong op shop culture.

“Tasmania has over double the reuse capacity and practice compared to New South Wales, which is where the only other reuse study has been done,” Ms Allan said.

“Currently, there is a study going on in South Australia, so we expect to outperform them as well.

“Tasmania’s got a reputation of having the highest amount of donations to charitable shops anywhere in Australia.

“We’ve also got the highest proportion of volunteerism for charity shops.”

Ms Allen believed Tasmania being an island state contributed to the big second-hand economy.

“We’ve had over 100 years of practice in this regard,” she said.

“When you’re an island state, you do tend to have that philosophy of making do because it’s so much more expensive to bring things from other places.

“Certainly, people have got cost of living challenges, but the fact that we’ve already got the habit of going and buying second-hand and reusing within our state helps us in terms of any cost of living crisis.”

Op-shop volunteers Tracey Pell and Morgan Phillips with items for sale at the Hobart City mission Op Shop in Moonah. Picture: Linda Higginson

Charitable Reuse Australia CEO Omer Soker said clothes were the most popular goods to be reused or bought second-hand.

“From our side, we would love to see the fashion industry change its business model and produce higher-quality, more durable products — because it’s better for the environment, it’s better for consumers, and it’s better all around.

“So, in the meantime, we’re working together with the fashion industry to help them grow and develop so that we can continue to increase the quality of those items because that’s when you make a real difference to not only society — but also the environment.”

Ms Allan said there was also an uptick in younger people buying clothes from op shops.

“Gen Z, for example, has an absolute preference for shopping second-hand.

“What we have to do, though, is improve the quality of things that we are selling in our shops — particularly clothing — and so we do need strong support from the fashion industry to make sure that we do have good, strong products that also appeal to people the second time around.”

Originally published as New study reveals that 13.9 million items were reused in Tasmania in the 2023-24 financial year