The suburbs of Wollongong will host hundreds of synchronised garage sales as part of a national day aimed at reducing landfill and building community.
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The city's council is one of 110 Australia-wide to join the community-based marketplace, Garage Sale Trail, on October 26.
It began in 2010 by communications and marketing duo Darryl Nichols and Andrew Valder to raise awareness about illegal dumping in Bondi. That year, 126 households took part. Participation grew to 3300 last year when 28 councils signed on; this year more than 5000 sales are expected Australia-wide.
Councils pay between $1500 and $15,000 to have sales in their area registered and mapped on a central website.
Wollongong City Council paid $10,000 after securing a state government grant for the same amount.
A council spokesman said the investment was aimed at extending the life of Whytes Gully by diverting waste from landfill, and saving on waste levy charges of $107.80 a tonne paid by the council to the state government.
"Council has paid more than $37.5 million towards this levy since its introduction in 2005," a council spokesman said.
"The Garage Sale Trail is one community education instrument that council will use to . . . [show] the community that there are other . . . methods of disposing of your pre-loved items."
One of the unforeseen delights of the enterprise has been the names that sellers devise for their sales - the Almost Deceased Estate Sale by an old couple in northern NSW; the Inconvenience Store for an out-of-the way affair elsewhere in the state and - registered for this year's sale in Mount Keira - the Not Moving This Stuff Again Sale.
The event has produced some unconventional and coveted sale items including a signed U2 gold record in Melbourne and an entire apartment in Bondi, sold after much media interest for about $800,000, Mr Nichols said.
"The average seller made $500 [in the first year]," he said. "But something we didn't expect . . . was the great community spirit.
"A woman told me, 'Now I can stop to say G'day to my neighbour [wearing] the old jeans I sold her'."
Registrations are free and are now open at the garagesaletrail.com.au website.