Community & Business
19 March, 2025
Petition to save recycle shop
A PETITION has been launched to try and save the Atherton Recycle Market which is due to close in mid-April.
The operation, located at Tablelands Regional Council’s Atherton Waste Transfer Station, sells secondhand goods and has been operated for the past 10 years by the Endeavour Foundation.
But the foundation says it has to close the shop due to it no longer being financially viable.
A Tablelands Regional Council spokesperson confirmed the organisation would not be taking over the operation as a broad second-hand or “buyback” shop.
“We will temporarily use the facility to store good-quality second-hand mattresses for donation to goodwill organisations,” the spokesperson said.
Last week, a petition was created calling for the council and the Endeavour Foundation to “seriously reconsider” the decision to close the facility as a recycling outlet.
The petition states that the Recycle Market is not only contributing to the reduction of waste in the local government area, but is also a meeting place for the community, allowing people to engage with each other, and providing “supported employment pathways” for people with a disability.
A spokesman, who did not want to be named, said the decision had been made without consulting those who would be affected by the closure.
He understood that the shop would not be taking any more second-hand items after 28 March and that it would be closing on 10 April.
Anyone who wishes to sign the petition can do so at the Recycle Market.
