The Green Shed has announced it will close the doors to its four Canberra locations at the end of May after their contract with the ACT government was not renewed.

Via Facebook, The Green Shed co-owners Charlie Bigg-Wither and Sandie Parkes said they are “devastated” by the news and that 84 staff members will lose their jobs.

“To all our lovely, customers and the Canberra Community, today we received this letter below informing us that we were unsuccessful in our latest tender Application. I have just had to inform 84 staff that they will be unemployed come the 30th of May so as you can imagine we are all just a little devastated!” The Green Shed posted.

“We will be continuing to support schools and other community groups on our donations list until we close but unfortunately we will be stopping our charity day fundraising as of today. Today we are presenting the ACT scouts with a check for 10k, this will bring the total to just over 2 million donated to charity by The Green Shed.

“We are still trying to digest what has happened but feel both us and the hundreds of staff who have worked with TGS over the years can all hold their heads high as we believe we have all showed the world how it can be done.”

The news means that The Green Shed outlets at the Mugga Lane and Mitchell tips will close, along with the two in Civic.

In operation as a private business for 14 years, The Green Shed also raised $2m for local charities. They also save an average of 8,000 tonnes of items from landfill every year.

The ACT government announced that St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn won the contract and will operate the reusable facilities at Mugga Lane and Mitchell. The new contract commences on 31 May 2024 for a term of four years with possible extensions up to another two years.

“The ACT Government would like to acknowledge the contributions and services provided by Green Shed over the past decade. They have become a familiar and much loved provider of reusable goods and I acknowledge that the workers as well as the community may be shocked or saddened to hear of the change of provider,” said Executive Branch Manager for ACT NoWaste, Dr Margaret Kitchin.

“Change is challenging, however this was a competitive process for a ‘zero sum’ contract, meaning the successful tenderer needed to demonstrate the greatest impact and support for the community, rather than being ‘best value for money’ and Vinnies were successful in demonstrating this.

“This does not take away from the contributions of the Green Shed, and again, we acknowledge their contributions over the past decade, including their charitable initiatives that have supported our community and will be working with them closely over the transition period.”

“The majority of Vinnies’ services are made possible by the support of the Canberra community like their emergency assistance relief, the Night Patrol and other programs for people in need. Having Vinnies manage the reuse facilities will enable them to do even more for those needing a hand up. It will also provide opportunities for community and educational upcycling and other activities, as well as to continue to support other local charities,” she said.

“Vinnies will also reduce material sent to landfill with an ambitious target of reducing this by 10-30% over the next four years, supporting our circular economy. Further to this, Vinnies will have a dedicated education space made available for the delivery of workshops, repair activities and structured education.”

Vinnies released their own statement on the announcement, stating that the current staff at The Green Shed would be offered an opportunity to keep working at the facilities.

“We are delighted to have been selected through a very competitive and thorough tender process as the preferred supplier for the management and provision of services at the Mugga Lane and Mitchell Reusable Facilities,” said Lucy Hohnen, CEO, St. Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn.

“Our first priority is to engage with current staff at the two locations to offer them the opportunity to apply and keep working at the facilities as part of the new St Vincent de Paul Society team.”

Vinnies also said that they would continue to support local charities moving forward.

A transition period will likely occur between 31 May and 30 June when Vinnies will accept donations from the public at the Mitchell and Mugga Lane shopfronts but may not open for trading to the public until 1 July 2024.

The news has not been received well by the many fans of The Green Shed, with plenty of locals supporting the company and voicing their displeasure of the news.

On Facebook, Emily Backhouse left this comment:

“This is an absolute tragedy for the Canberra community. You cannot let the Green Shed close down. They save so much going into landfill and for a ‘green’ government, I would have thought services like The Green Shed are paramount to this! Not to mention the valuable charity work they do and the value they bring to the community. I cannot imagine a Canberra without them. Please do something to fix this Andrew Barr, or at least let us know where the community can go to support the green shed in any kind of appeal process…this cannot happen.”