One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Or so Melbourne mother of two Michelle Power reasoned a couple of years ago, as her husband dumped unwanted stuff into a skip during their home renovation. “There really needs to be a forum where we can give away these goods, instead of throwing them into landfill or waiting until hard rubbish collection,” she thought. Her subsequent research led to the recent launch of ziilch.com.au, a website dedicated to giving away stuff to be re-used by someone else. More than 300 items were listed on the website during its first four weeks, including an ironing board, a wedding dress, even a car (albeit with a seized engine). Turns out Power wasn’t the only one eager to get rid of superfluous stuff, without binning it forever.

While there’s long been a slew of organisations geared towards swapping, selling and bartering unwanted goods, now the virtual and local communities are embracing a more feel-good, sustainable and no-strings approach to decluttering. It doesn’t involve dumping pre-loved goods on the nature strip or in a charity bin, either.

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