Your local op shop offers far more than a way for you to find a bargain or that one of a kind treasure. These play an integral part in diverting unwanted clothing, furniture, and bric a brac from landfills while at the same time raising money, allowing them to continue to support those worthy projects.
The NZ Salvation Army estimates approximately 16,000 tonnes of waste are saved from landfill per year through their family stores alone.
Here are a couple great op shops in our region you might want to check out.
Lions Shed Cambridge – a real spectacle 
What started in the 60s as an annual auction in the town square grew into a shed. The Lions Shed at Cambridge is an op shop like no other! It holds treasures from eras gone by and unexpected finds that will have your home, closet, garden or shed happy that you visited. All proceeds from donations fund worthy projects—one such example is the upgrade of the Cambridge pool: Cambridge Lions Club contributed $100k, much of it raised through The Lions Shed.
The Lions Shed even accepts your old prescription spectacles which presently are tested by an optometrist before going to the Pacific Islands.
They also take some electrical items, which are tested and tagged by certified volunteers before selling.
Hospice Waikato
With their network of Hospice Shops throughout the region, Hospice Waikato provide a number of options for those wanting to reuse.
At Hospice Claudelands they have a couple of very cool initiatives.
Looking for a specific book? The team do ‘a book request’ and will pop your request on their board and keep a look out for it.
The Stella Rack
Stella Neems, who has been a Hospice volunteer for two years, created the Stella Rack. With her eye for what’s cool, Stella chooses from the best donations for the Stella Rack, encouraging young people to buy second-hand clothing. “At first I didn’t think much about the sustainability part of it,” says Stella, “but now that is one of the main reasons I invest my time into Hospice. I think it’s so important to shop second-hand because, at the end of the day, the fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world.”
Want to see just how cool things from the op shop can be? Follow hospiceshopwaikato on Instagram.
