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Shellharbour's favourite Reuse Competition is back with more prizes to be won

Resource Recovery Australia

Shellharbour residents are being encouraged to turn their repairs, makeovers and creative reuse projects into entries for the 2026 Reviva Reuse Competition, after local makers claimed both the Shellharbour and national prizes last year.

Run by not-for-profit social enterprise Resource Recovery Australia, the annual competition celebrates practical and creative ways to keep useful materials out of landfill. Resource Recovery Australia operates the Reviva Reuse Shop and The Tinkerage at the Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot.

There is a $300 national prize and a $200 Shellharbour prize to be won, with free entries open until Sunday 15 November 2026.

Resource Recovery Australia Deputy General Manager Ally Glendenning said people did not need a large or polished project to take part.

“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.”

The competition is open to anyone who has repaired, restored, repurposed or transformed an item using reused materials. Entries can include furniture, artwork, garden projects, home improvements, clothing makeovers or something completely different.

Now in its seventh year, the Reviva Reuse Competition also highlights the local impact of reuse. The Reviva Reuse Shop and The Tinkerage at Dunmore give donated items a second life, reduce the amount of material sent to landfill and support local jobs and training opportunities for people facing barriers to employment.

Last year, Shellharbour’s Edward Costelloe won the local prize with “Sandfly 121”, a sculptural letterbox made at The Tinkerage for his daughter’s new home on Sandfly Road. He used discarded and scrap materials including wire mesh, timber, marine plywood, stainless steel and a discarded tank.

“Searching and scrounging for bits and pieces from the Reviva Reuse Shop in Dunmore is most rewarding, knowing when you have found the right piece, you have actually repurposed, reused and recycled an item that was destined for landfill,” Mr Costelloe said.

Fellow Shellharbour entrant Mike Tikkeros took out the 2025 national prize for a true-to-size violin sculpture made from salvaged metal and household items, including bicycle, microwave, food processor, drum kit, golf club and horse bridle parts.

Entry is free. 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 close on Sunday 15 November 2026, at the end of National Recycling Week. For more information or to enter, visit www.resourcerecovery.org.au/competition.

 

Image caption: “Sandfly 121” by Edward Costelloe, winner of the 2025 Shellharbour prize in the Reviva Reuse Competition, is a sculptural letterbox created from discarded and scrap materials.

 

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: The other regional winners of the 2025 Reviva Reuse Competition.

Interview opportunity: Resource Recovery Australia’s Deputy General Manager Ally Glendenning is available for phone or video interviews about the competition, previous entries and how reuse benefits the Shellharbour community.

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_tinkerage

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]