Seddon Urban Harvest Swap Meet organiser Neesh Wray with some of excess fruit and vegetables. 70828 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By Charlene Gatt
GOT more lemons than you know what to do with?
The Seddon Urban Harvest Swap Meet has spent the past three years redistributing excess fruit and vegetables at monthly meetings, spawning similar groups across the West.
“I had lots of lemons from our lemon tree and I used to share them with all our neighbours and I thought there could be another way of sharing them with everybody,” Yarraville resident Neesh Wray said.
“I also noticed that there was lots of wasted fruit on the pavement in summer and it was a shame that there was so much food going to waste, so I thought it would be great to have a place where people could come and share their excess product with people who were like-minded.”
Ms Wray got in contact with the Food For All project group, and the Seddon Urban Harvest Swap Meet was born.
The Swap Meet, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month at Bristow Reserve in Pilgrim St, attracts up to 25 people bearing their excess fruit and vegetables.
“Each month new people arrive at the park unsure of how to swap,” Ms Wray said.
“Everyone just takes what they need. There’s no system or bargaining, it’s just an honesty system and assumption that everyone will take what they need rather than taking in excess.
“People are becoming more creative and are bringing bread that they’ve made or sourdough culture or coffee grinds or manure or eggs or honey.”
Ms Wray said since starting up the swap meet, others had popped up in Newport, Spotswood, Altona, Coburg, Bacchus Marsh and Ardeer.
“The community connections that I’ve seen created amongst people at the swap meets and between families has been the highlight.”
The next Seddon Harvest Urban Swap Meet is 1 October from 10am to 11.30am.
