Community Sustainability Opportunities

City of Parramatta invites local community organisations, social enterprises and schools to join us in our Reuse Community, sharing and re-using items no longer needed. 

As a subscriber to Warp-It along with Council, you can browse the catalogue, claim your FREE item/s, and arrange collections. Items already in the marketplace include office stationery and equipment, craft supplies, storage cabinets, white boards and office furniture. The items will have a 7 day internal listing for Council office use, after which items will be accessible to you through our Reuse Community.

To join our Warp-It Reuse Community please register here.

For more information please contact the Sustainability team on enviroed@cityofparramatta.nsw.gou.au or 9806 8292.

Get into Nature is a series of Council workshops, guided walks and events designed to connect people with their natural surroundings.

The Get into Nature events are run by Council’s Bushcare Team allowing local residents and visitors to experience the amazing plants and animals in Parramatta’s bushland reserves in a safe,  friendly and engaging way.

Details on upcoming events can be found on our Liveable Parramatta Facebook page.

Not on Facebook? Please contact Council’s Bushcare Team for more details:

Phone: (02) 9806 8280

Email: bushcare@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au 

Please not that these events are highly popular and places are strictly limited, so please register to avoid disappointment.

Free Home Energy Assessments – Back by popular demand.

Did you know that good insulation can cut your winter heating bills by up to 40%? If your home was insulated before 2010, chances are it either doesn’t have enough insulation or it’s been moved out of place by contractors such as electricians.

Council is once again offering Free Home Energy Assessments by a qualified electrician. The assessment will take between 30-40mins and you’ll get a full evaluation report, as well as personalised advice on how to improve the energy efficiency.

Bookings for this first round of 20 assessments can be made to enviroed@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au 

Join us for a fantastic opportunity to discover stylish new outfits, and help combat fashion waste! We're thrilled to partner with Nina from Eco Styles to bring you an exciting event dedicated to promoting sustainable fashion: the CLOTHES SWAP! This social gathering is all about exchanging clothes in a spirit of community and generosity, all while making a positive impact on the environment. Don't miss out on this chance to refresh your wardrobe and support the circular fashion movement!

Australia ranks among the world's top consumers of clothing per person, contributing to a staggering 300,000 tonnes of textile waste annually. To combat this growing problem, clothes swapping emerges as a powerful solution within the circular economy, helping to reduce waste and keep textiles out of landfills. By embracing swapping, we can take meaningful steps towards a more sustainable future, one stylish exchange at a time.

Swaps offer a refreshing alternative to fast fashion, showing that you can update your wardrobe with stylish, high-quality pieces without contributing to harmful consumption practices. We're here to inspire mindful, deliberate choices by championing the exchange of timeless items—think natural fabrics, handcrafted garments, retro and vintage finds, non-fast fashion labels, slow fashion pieces, and both brand-new and preloved luxury items. Let's celebrate a more sustainable approach to fashion by embracing the beauty of quality and longevity.

Timeline of the Event:

Check in: Please bring your clothes at 10AM

Restyling workshop with Nina Gbor: 10:30AM to 11:30AM

Swap: 11:30AM to 12:30PM

How the swap works

1. Bring 1-5 items of clothing

2. Clothing is checked in, sorted for quality and placed on the tables and racks

3. People can only start taking items once the Swap is officially open by the host at 11:30

4. Clothes check-in closes at 11:15AM
 

Swap Guidelines

- What to bring: Only bring items that are clean, in great shape, and free of wear—no faded colours, pilling, or damage. Please ensure your contributions are items that fellow swappers will genuinely appreciate. Bring along your pants, skirts, tops, sweaters, coats, jumpsuits, shirts, shoes, bags, shorts, jackets, blazers, scarves, hats, dresses, sunglasses, and jewellery. We’re excited to see pieces that are retro, vintage, handmade, or from quality brands—whether mid-range or luxury.

- Sizing: While we can’t promise everyone will find their perfect size, accessories will be available to ensure there’s something for everyone. We welcome participants of all sizes and genders—this swap is open to clothing for men, women, adaptive needs, and all body types.

- Items to Leave Behind: We cannot accept underwear, worn pyjamas, socks, or heavily used workout gear.

**Important:** Items that don’t meet these standards will not be included in the swap.

Booking Essential
 

Program currently full - wait list available

Join the contact list by emailing your name, address, contact number to enviroed@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

Save Power Kits for loan

The Save Power Kits includes power monitoring equipment to help you identify where you are using power and where you can be saving power (and reducing your greenhouse gas emissions).

There are two types of kit you can borrow:

Save Power kit contains range of practical tools including a power monitor to work out how much power your appliances are using, an infrared thermometer to check for drafts and a thermometer to test heating and cooling as well as a stopwatch and compass

Power Mate kit has a single energy meter to measure how much energy your appliances use. It can also tell you how much your electricity costs for each appliance. Even when an appliance is on standby it can draw power, adding extra costs to bills unnecessarily.

Kits are available to adult library members for 1 week and must be returned in person.

A program to help people save power and money is now available for loan at City of Parramatta Library and its branches as part of the NSW Government’s Home Energy Action Program.

The Compost Revolution program is a fun way to learn about composting and worm farming from the comfort of your own home.

People from all over Australia are joining the revolution and finding out how to create their own soil and fertiliser while reducing the rubbish they send to landfill.

First step is to complete the quick tutorial to learn about how to use and look after a worm farm or compost bins. Then you can claim your discounted worm farm and compost bin. Council will then approve the order and your items will be delivered to your door within a few weeks.

The Garage Sale Trail is a great way to make or save money by buying or selling your pre-loved stuff, whilst also minimising your impact on the planet.

As an Australia wide initiative there are numerous ways to be involved in the Garage Sale Trail both online and in the real world. This year's event looks set to be bigger than ever so expect heaps of money making, treasure hunting and planet saving fun.

Garage Sale Trail happens with the support of local council partners across the country and over ten years has grown to a nationwide event which sees over 3.5 million kg of items sold and saved from landfill.

Every garage sale has a unique style and gets a sale page that provides clues to who's involved, what’s on offer and anything else that’s going down. It’s like a treasure map to second hand greatness. Likewise, shoppers can search for sales, items of interest and make their own Trail of favourite sales to checkout.

GOOF (Grown your food series) is a series of 5 workshops on how to grow food sustainably, cleanly and productively. You will be able to apply what you learn to balconies, backyards, community gardens or local schools.

To help you get started, City of Parramatta is supporting the GOOF series again this Summer

Schedule of Workshops

Topic 1Intro to Permaculture Saturday, 09 November 2024, 8:30am - 12:00pm
Topic 2 Soils Saturday, 16 November 2024, 8:30am - 12:00pm
Topic 3 Plants Saturday, 23 November 2024, 8:30am - 12:00pm
Topic 4 Seeds Saturday, 30 November 2024, 8:30am - 12:00pm
Topic 5 Year-Round Food Saturday, 7 December 2024, 8:30am - 12:00pm