End of an era as The Green Shed finishes up on Thursday and Vinnies takes over on Friday

The Green Shed shuts up shop in Canberra on Thursday, but its owner hasn’t ruled out a return to the recycle-and-reuse circular economy.

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Vinnies officially takes over the Mugga Lane and Mitchell reuseables sheds on Friday.

The Green Shed shut its doors at the Mitchell shed on Wednesday and will do the same at the Mugga Lane shed at 5pm on Thursday.

The Green Shed owner Charlie Bigg-Wither had planned to retire, but, after a break, he will consider his options.

Returning to the recycling and reusing industry under the name of The Green Shed could be one way to go some time in the future.

“We’d never rule anything out,” Mr Bigg-Wither said on Wednesday.

Pat Rodgers, who has worked at the Mugga Lane shed since 1996, first with Revolve and then with The Green Shed, is staying on there with Vinnies. He is pictured in the near-empty shed on Wednesday. Picture by Keegan Carroll

Under Vinnies, the retail sections at the sheds will be re-named Goodies Junction.

The Green Shed staff Julian Goodwin and Therese Evans cleaning up at the Mitchell shed on Wednesday. They will return to the same site next week as employees of the new contractor, Vinnies. Picture by Keegan Carroll

The Green Shed staff were on Wednesday busy clearing out both sheds for Vinnies to take over.

Drop-offs of donated items continue as usual. The retail arms at Mugga Lane and Mitchell will close from Friday, May 31 to July 1 to allow Vinnies to fit out the areas.

Goodies Junction will then open for business on July 1.

He started there in 1996, first with Revolve, then with The Green Shed, now with Vinnies.

“It is what is and you move on,” he said.

Julian Goodwin has worked at the shed at Mitchell for 15 years and his partner, Therese Evans, for 10 years.

They start back at the Mitchell shed next week as employees of Vinnies, the charity agreeing to their request that they continue to work together at the same site.

“The bosses are good here, so I’m hoping I get another good boss,” Mr Goodwin said.

Last-minute shoppers at The Green Shed at Mitchell and Mugga Lane this week were mostly worried prices would rise under Vinnies management.

“If they are going to stay the same, everyone will be happy,” one lady, who did not want to be named, said.

Ryan Chenery, of Gilmore, and Aaron Rockey, of Kambah, who were shopping at The Green Shed at Mugga Lane on Wednesday said they would give Vinnies a go.

“If it’s the same, then maybe,” Mr Chenery said.

Mr Rockey said: “It’s going to continue with Vinnies. But it’s sad, [The Green Shed] is an institution”.

Two women shopping at the Mitchell shed were also worried about pricing.

“I lost my job during COVID and I came here and got things and tried to fix them and re-sell them. It helped a lot with the income,” one of them said.

“Now, I don’t think it is going to be the same. Yesterday, I went to Vinnies in Mitchell and it was so expensive. A normal Kmart top was $12 there and it’s $18 at Kmart.

“Kids clothes – why is a size six piece of clothing $12 because it has the name adidas or Nike on it? They are looking at things and then they are deciding the price, and that is not fair. They are second-hand items donated by the community.”

The women also felt a lot of items that might now end up in landfill were actually valuable to people, such as materials for school projects.

“My kids used to get things here for school. I can’t afford to go to Officeworks,” the woman said.

“They have to have consideration for the price. They also can’t just say, ‘This is for colouring or pencils – to the rubbish bin’.”

It also says the profits from the centres will be used to help finance its programs for vulnerable members of the community.

City Services acting deputy director-general Bruce Fitzgerald has said the sheds under Vinnies will have “transparent pricing of goods and more reusable items staying in circulation rather than ending up in landfill”.

“Vinnies have an ambitious target of reducing items sent to landfill from their 10 Canberra shops by 10 to 30 per cent over the next four years,” he said.