We are so excited to bring Packshare to Australia!
I don’t know about you but I grew up in a house where we never threw our jiffy packs away when presents arrived in the mail. In fact, when my 3 sisters lived in different parts of the world, we had jiffy packs that went back and forth with addresses crossed out and labels stuck over the top for years (the presents inside were also wrapped with wrapping paper that had been used many times before!). That was before the internet and before online shopping so now the amount of packaging that is being flown around the world and used only once is mind blowing.
Packshare is all about reusing that jiffy pack until it can’t be used anymore. However, it’s about sharing packaging within the community not just within the family. The thing I love about sustainability projects is that they are often about community and building community which is also why I love the concept of Packshare. It’s not just about offloading your waste but it’s about knowing what businesses there are in the community, what they do and how we can all support each other.
When we got new blinds put in our house, I was shocked at the amount of bubble wrap involved. I asked to keep it and somehow found out the guy around the corner restores old clocks and regularly needs bubble wrap to protect his work. The two businesses are now happily paired up. The blinds shop loves not throwing the bubble wrap into landfill (because let’s face it, it’s not the best feeling but sometimes it’s hard to know what else to do.) and the clock repairer loves not having to spend money on bubble wrap.
I really only stumbled across Packshare on the Internet. I typed an inquiry to see if Packshare was operating in Australia. I learnt that it was only in the UK but the creators always intended it to be spread worldwide. A zoom conversation and a couple of emails later and Roo and Louisa had given me permission to start Packshare Australia. I love that when people have a genuine desire to reduce waste, they are so generous with intellectual property and time.
AU Web was amazing to work with in developing the website. They were really excited to be part of project which will help to reduce waste in Australia.
If anyone has any suggestions or wants to help spread the word about Packshare Australia, we would love to hear from you!