St Vincent de Paul Canberra/Goulburn, trading as Goodies Junction, will started operations of the ACT reusable facilities at Mitchell and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centres from May 31.
"Minimal disruption for the community is the highest priority as the ACT reusable facilities transition to new operators," a statement from City Services on Friday read.
"For a short period, between 31 May 2024 and 1 July 2024, there will be some changes to operations. This will allow Goodies Junction to prepare the facilities for the community."
That includes the shopfronts at Mugga Lane and Mitchell being closed for more than a month to accommodate the changeover from previous operator, The Green Shed.
Donating goods
The process for donating goods via the existing vehicle drop off arrangements will remain unchanged.
Goodies Junction will be open to receive donations from the community from 8am on Friday, May 31.
"You can continue to drop off your goods for free via the existing vehicle drop off arrangements, from 7:30am to 4:45pm, Monday to Sunday, at Goodies Junction located at the Mitchell and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centres.
"All donations previously accepted including furniture, electrical equipment, clothing, building materials and tools can continue to be dropped off."
Shops
The Goodies Junction shops will be closed to the public from Friday, May 31 and will reopen at 7:30am on Monday, July 1.
"The temporary closure of the shops is to allow Vinnies time to fit out the buildings and prepare the retail space for the community.
"From Monday 1 July 2024, you will be able to visit the shops at the Mitchell and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centres to buy second hand goodies from 7:30am to 4:45pm, Monday to Sunday.
"The community may consider alternative second-hand purchasing options during this time such as other second-hand stores located throughout Canberra. These include, but are not limited to, Vinnies, Anglicare and Salvos stores, Facebook buy/swap/sell and community groups, and second-hand markets.
"The ACT reusable facilities play an important role within the community by contributing to the circular economy and providing a safe and convenient location for the public to drop-off reusable items for resale or donation," Acting deputy director-general City Services Bruce Fitzgerald said.
"Some of the features of the new reusable facilities include 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 10-30 per cent over the next four years.
"The community will continue to have access to much loved features of the service such as free clothing and quality goods and furniture at bargain prices.
"Vinnies will also have a dedicated education space made available for the delivery of workshops, repair activities and structured education."
For more information on the ACT's reusable facilities visit www.cityservices.act.gov.au
For more information on Goodies Junction visit www.goodiesjunction.org.au
Instagram and Facebook: @goodiesjunctionACT
