Treasure hunting pauses as Ballina’s Salvage Shed shuts its doors
By Amoretta Hartley*
It’s been described as an “Aladdin’s Cave” of reclaimed bits and bobs. For more than a decade, Ballina’s Salvage Shed has been changing people’s perspective on rubbish.
Operating out of the Ballina Waste Management Centre, the Salvage Shed has worked in partnership with council to divert usable items from landfill, tackling the growing waste problem and giving back to the community in the process.
“It’s like treasure hunting every day,” said Jen Evans, lead support worker at the Salvage Shed.
“It’s one small drop in the ocean, but we are moving forward with a solution.”
“We often don’t know the reason something has come to the tip, but what I’ve learnt over time is that people bring things generally because they are time poor — that’s why some of it looks brand new,” she said.
“Shops like this should be operating off every single tip, it’s criminal not to. I look around here sometimes and think, what if all this was underground?”
The Salvage Shed is a not-for-profit operating on a supported employment model.
It has been run by Momentum Collective, an NDIS organisation delivering programs for disability employment, homelessness, mental health and domestic violence crisis.
Any profits from the Salvage Shed have gone back into the community, paying wages for supported employees and funding programs run by Momentum Collective.
Momentum has recently entered administration, but all is not lost, with Ballina Shire Council seeking expressions of interest to reopen the facility under a new operator.
For the team working under Momentum, it has been a sad time seeing it come to an end.
“We are really proud of what we’ve been able to do here, keeping people working who may otherwise find it difficult to find a job and hold onto a job,” Ms Evans said.
“People with disabilities are running their life too. Life is expensive, and we wanted to make sure people aren’t coming to work just for good feels — they’re coming to support their life outside of work.”
Aladdin’s Cave: You never know what you might find on every visit to the Salvage Shed
Under Momentum, the Shed supported eight support workers and 17 supported staff, all local residents.
For many in the team, it has felt more like a family than a workplace.
The participant-led training model provides each employee with individualised goals based on their skillset.
“The end goal has been to get the team into open employment — to set them up to be immersed in the general community rather than being specialised in supported employment,” said Nicole Bateman from Momentum.
“We have provided a stepping stone for them to learn and grow.”
Beyond the Shed, the team has taken part in community events including the Bangalow Billycart Derby and National Recycling Week art competition.
Looking to the future, under a new operator, it is hoped the Shed can continue to support the community and encourage people to rethink what they consider waste.
Bargain shoppers are encouraged to visit the Salvage Shed for Saturday’s closing down sale, with final operating hours from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
*Amoretta Hartley is a Digital Media student at Southern Cross University. She has had several pieces published locally and recently completed an internship at ABC North Coast, working mostly in radio journalism. This story for Ballina News Daily was supported by the NSW Premier’s Department in a series encouraging young journalists and supporting disability and inclusion in the community.
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