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Clarence Valley makers invited to turn trash into treasure and win with the Reviva Reuse Competition

Resource Recovery Australia

Clarence Valley residents are being encouraged to showcase their creativity and help reduce waste by entering the 2026 Reviva Reuse Competition, with local prizes available for the region’s best repair, makeover or repurposing project.

 

Run by not-for-profit social enterprise Resource Recovery Australia, which operates the Reviva Reuse Shop at Grafton, the annual competition celebrates repairs, makeovers and creative projects that give unwanted materials a second life instead of sending them to landfill.

 

Entrants can win a $300 national prize and a $200 Clarence Valley prize, with submissions open until Sunday 15 November 2026, coinciding with National Recycling Week.

 

The competition is open to anyone who has repaired, restored, repurposed or transformed an item using reused materials, whether it is a piece of furniture, artwork, garden project, home improvement, clothing makeover or something completely unique.

 

Resource Recovery Australia’s Deputy General Manager Ally Glendenning said the competition showed that anyone could take part in reuse, with entries not needing to be large, complicated or perfect.

 

“Clarence Valley residents are practical and creative when it comes to making the most of what they have,” Ms Glendenning said.

“If you have repaired something, given an old item a makeover or found a new use for materials that might otherwise have been thrown away, you already have an entry,” Ms Glendenning said. “Take a photo, briefly tell us what you made and what you reused, and submit it online. Every entry can inspire someone else to rethink what they throw away.”

Now in its seventh year, the Reviva Reuse Competition welcomes entries from across Australia and is being held in the Clarence Valley for the first time.

 

The competition also highlights the early impact of the Reviva Reuse Shop in Grafton. Since opening in July, the shop has helped give quality donated items a second life while supporting local jobs and training opportunities for people facing barriers to employment and reducing the amount of material sent to landfill.

 

Last year’s national winner, Mike Tikkeros, transformed salvaged metal and household items into a true-to-size violin sculpture. Nuts, washers and hooks recovered from gurneys, bicycles, microwaves and food processors formed the body, while other parts came from a pipe, drum kit, golf club and horse bridle.

 

Past entries have included repurposed clothing, furniture makeovers, mosaic art, garden creations and entire kitchens made with salvaged materials. Together, they show how creativity can transform unwanted or overlooked items into something useful, beautiful or unexpected.

To enter, participants simply need to submit a photo of their project and a short description of what they created and the materials they reused at www.resourcerecovery.org.au/competition.

 

Entries are free and close on Sunday 15 November 2026, at the end of National Recycling Week.

 

For more information or to enter, visit Resource Recovery Australia/Competition.

 

 

 

Image caption: Mike Tikkeros’s true-to-size violin sculpture, grand national winner of the 2025 Reviva Reuse Competition, was created from salvaged metal and discarded household items.

 

Image caption: Regional winners of the 2025 Reviva Reuse Competition show the creativity and variety welcomed in this year’s competition.

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Interview opportunity: Resource Recovery Australia’s Deputy General Manager Ally Glendenning is available for phone or video interviews about the competition, the new Reviva Reuse Shop and how reuse benefits the Clarence Valley community.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RevivaGrafton/

 

About us:

Resource Recovery Australia (RRA) is a certified not-for-profit social enterprise and registered charity operating across Australia to transform the way we treat waste. As a social enterprise of Community Resources, RRA is an Aboriginal-led organisation, registered with Supply Nation and the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.
Our #WASTE2WAGES model maximises social, environmental and community outcomes by employing people experiencing barriers to work while diverting waste from landfill for reuse and recycling.
www.resourcerecovery.org.au

Contact details:

Aleta Sheil
Marketing & Communications Specialist
 m: 0412 027 788
[email protected]