How Garage Sale Trails help co-production of positive environmental and social behaviours in local communities

Change management

Behaviour Change Model

Garage Sale Trail incentivises pro-social and environmental behaviours. Through taking part in Garage Sale Trail, individuals and groups are encouraged to both sell and buy unwanted items instead of throwing them away. Garage Sale Trail helps to overcome practical barriers to reuse by providing a platform for the buying and selling of second-hand goods that people can engage with for free and from their convenience of their own households. Creating opportunities for reuse is key to whether or not individuals throw things away and has a long-term impact on waste management (WRAP, 2011). Holding the event on one 'big day' to create a 'trail of sales' encourages a fun and enjoyable environment for participants.  Doing so provides an opportunity to foster new community connections for participants. It also stimulates interest in holding and attending related activities after the event.

From a social capital perspective, the process of taking part in Garage Sale Trail as a buyer or a seller provides a context and incentives for people to create new connections within their neighbourhood, regardless of their background or circumstance. This is important as social isolation and weak communities are prevalent in the UK (Watts, 2008). Furthermore, it is estimated that only one in five people know their neighbours well and one in ten claim to be too shy to even say hello to the people next door. However, 95% believe knowing their neighbour could have a positive impact on their community (The Big Lunch, 2010). In addition, Garage Sale Trail participants are also encouraged to donate a portion of the takings from their sale to a local cause, raising awareness of local causes and encouraging civic mindedness amongst participants.

Co-production approach

Following the successful Australian model, Garage Sale Trail UK works in collaboration with local authorities and other organisations who have a commitment to addressing waste reduction and community development. To achieve the objectives of Garage Sale Trail UK, a pilot was launched in the City of Brighton & Hove, the London Borough of Hackney, and the town of Todmorden in West Yorkshire in 2015.

• A website for people to register and advertise sales and provide information about the event, including tips on hosting a sale was created. In some locations, this was promoted on the local authority website.
• Community outreach. Local coordinators from local community organisations were recruited and funded and tasked with engaging with local people and organisations to encourage and support their participation in the event.
• PR campaign. There were press releases in local and national media outlets to create awareness about the event.
• Marketing campaign. As well as press releases in local and national media outlets, there was also social media engagement to further promote awareness of the event and engagement with local communities, run centrally and locally.

Alongside the formal element of local authority cooperation, Garage Sale Trail UK played an enabling role to assist and encourage communities to take part in the UK's first Garage Sale Trail. As outlined above, Garage Sale Trail UK provided the marketing and promotion of the event as well as the website to register and search for sales. However, the overall success of the Garage Sale Trails relied on the co-production between local authorities, third sector partners and communities groups which mobilised local communities and residents to organise themselves to hold their own sales.

In Hackney, there was particularly strong involvement of community groups and charities taking part.  This in part was due to the involvement of Hackney Council Voluntary Services (CVS) which has strong links within the local voluntary sector.  Hackney Council also strongly encouraged community groups to take part and to use their premises for the sale rather than households.  This meant that the sale in Hackney was differed in focus from the two other pilot areas. This also encouraged ongoing engagement of local people and groups after the event. As highlighted by one of the participants:

“I met new residents, a few of whom are going to get involved in the Residents Association, which is a great outcome. Additionally, because of the interest for the event, we're going to run our own monthly jumble sale. Once people know it's happening more regularly, it'll get a lot more people and people will get to know each other. So overall, really glad we signed up. 

Dr.  Jessica Steele and Andrew Dick wrote this case study in November 2015.