South Hobart Tip Shop turn one man’s trash into another’s treasure

A classic Nintendo consoles from the 1970s and an abandoned diamond engagement ring are among some of the items that have been salvaged and sold at the South Hobart Tip Shop. SEE THE VIDEO.

JASON Richards has an affinity for “antique, old, weird stuff.”

Since moving to Hobart from Sydney in 2017 to become Collectables Manager of the South Hobart Tip Shop, Mr Richards has seen this same affinity grow among visitors to the shop.

“A lot of people are starting to see the value of buying second-hand because of the environment,” Mr Richards said.

“You walk in here and you can fill a kitchen with everything you need, with the exception of some electricals.”

ART TRIAGE PROGRAM AT THE SOUTH HOBART TIP

Laden with weird and wacky trinkets, Mr Richards said the shop has grown immensely popular since the ABC documentary War On Waste aired in May 2017.

The shop now receives roughly one million kilograms annually from the public, with 15 per cent usually deemed unusable.

The fabulous Luke is a regular customer who takes materials that are no longer wanted, such as video cases, & converts them into exciting, useable objects. Such awesome and creative skills. Thanks Luke🤩

Posted by South Hobart Tip Shop on Friday, 6 September 2019

“Our goal is to keep this stuff out of the ground because it’s all really useful,” he said.

“What’s the point of it all going in the ground and just polluting?”

Among the items Mr Richards receives have been 19th century lockets, abandoned diamond engagement rings and classic Nintendo consoles from as early as the 1970s. He said the festive season entering 2020 has seen a rise in interest for these and other vintage rarities.

“Our collectable section has been huge for presents and Christmas,” he said.

“We had a blitz.”

HELP FIND STOLEN SOUTH HOBART TIP SHOP TRUCK

Even when selling highly valuable items over the festive period, the prices have stayed mostly at scrap value.

Mr Richards hopes that 2020 will bring new opportunities closer to the CBD.

“We’d love to have another shop in town, including collectables and clothes so people don’t have to come out here,” he said.

“We’re very aware that without the community, we’d be nothing.

“We wouldn’t exist.”