Student research initiative · Naarm / Melbourne

Everything that lands here deserves a second shore.

Most of the things Australians use every day were made somewhere else and shipped across an ocean. When they stop being wanted, too many of them take one last trip — to landfill. Second Shore Lab is researching a simpler way to find each object its next best home.

See the concept View the roadmap

Why it matters

An import nation with an end-of-life problem

Australia imports most of its electronics, clothing, furniture and household goods. The making happens elsewhere — but the final chapter of each product happens here, and it is ours to write well.

75.6 Mt

of waste generated in Australia in 2022–23 — almost three tonnes for every person.1

~22 kg

of e-waste per Australian per year — close to three times the global average of 7.8 kg.2

~7%

of the roughly 780,000 tonnes of textile waste generated in 2018–19 was recycled.3

4.4%

national circularity rate, against a global 7.2%. Australia has committed to doubling it by 2035.4

The real bottleneck is a decision, not a bin

When someone holds a slow laptop, a wobbly chair or a kettle that won't heat, they rarely know three things: what it's still worth, whether it can be fixed or taken apart, and where it should actually go. Finding out takes effort, so the default wins — and the default is usually the bin.

Since 2020 Australia has restricted the export of unprocessed waste, and Victoria has kept e-waste out of landfill since 2019. The answers increasingly have to be local. We think the first step is closing that decision gap.

  • 01Value is invisible at the moment of disposal.
  • 02Repair and disassembly options are scattered and hard to find.
  • 03Rules differ by item, material and council.
  • 04Collection is inconvenient for bulky or hazardous items.

Phase 1 concept

Snap. Assess. Act.

Point a phone camera at an object and get a clear, honest recommendation in seconds: what it is, what it's likely worth, and the best next step for it — reuse, repair, donation, disassembly, recycling or safe disposal.

  1. 1

    Snap

    Take one or two photos of the item. No account, no barcode, no product manual needed.

  2. 2

    Assess

    The item is evaluated for identity, condition, materials, market demand, repairability and safety hazards.

  3. 3

    Act

    You get a recommended pathway, an estimated value range and options near you to follow through.

Concept preview

Pick a sample item to see what a Second Shore Lab assessment could look like.

Illustrative examples · not a live assessment

The assessment method is part of our ongoing research and is not published. Values above are indicative ranges for illustration only and are not financial or safety advice.

The pathways

Six places an object can go next

Our recommendations follow the waste hierarchy: keep things whole and in use for as long as possible, and only break them down when that is genuinely the best option left.

1

Reuse & resell

Still useful and in demand — list it, sell it, or pass it on to someone who needs it.

2

Repair

A small fix restores most of its value. Point to repairers, repair cafés and guides.

3

Donate

Low resale value but real use value — charities, community groups and swap networks.

4

Disassemble

Whole item has run its course, but components and materials can be harvested.

5

Recycle

Send each material to the right stream — kerbside, drop-off, or a stewardship scheme.

6

Safe disposal

Batteries, chemicals and damaged electronics need special handling to protect people.

Roadmap

From a photo to a doorstep

We are starting with research and a focused prototype, and expanding only where the evidence supports it. Timing is indicative.

  1. Phase 0Late 2026 – early 2027In progress

    Discovery & research foundations

    • Review the literature and policy landscape on reuse, repair and product stewardship in Australia.
    • Interview households, students, op-shops, repairers and recyclers about what gets thrown away and why.
    • Build an item taxonomy linking common household goods to materials, hazards and pathways.
  2. Phase 12027

    Snap & Assess prototype

    • A web prototype that turns item photos into a pathway recommendation and a value range.
    • Benchmark recommendations against expert judgement and real resale outcomes.
    • Small campus pilot with student volunteers, under university research ethics approval.
  3. Phase 2Late 2027 – 2028

    Local pathway network

    • Connect each recommendation to real places in Melbourne: repairers, charities, drop-off points and stewardship programs.
    • Work with councils and community organisations to keep pathway information accurate.
  4. Phase 32028 onward

    Doorstep collection pilot

    • Assess at home, book a pickup, and let items be routed to the right destination.
    • First test case: end-of-semester move-outs, when furniture and appliances are discarded in large volumes.
  5. OngoingThroughout

    Open insights

    • Publish aggregated, anonymised findings on which imported goods lose the most recoverable value, and where.
    • Share evidence with policymakers on product stewardship and the right to repair.

Research

Questions we want to answer

  1. How reliably can a single photo estimate an everyday item's remaining value and its best end-of-life pathway?
  2. What stops households choosing reuse, repair or recycling over the bin — and does an instant, personalised recommendation change that?
  3. Which categories of imported goods lose the most recoverable value in Australia, and at which point in their life?
  4. What would a convenient and financially sustainable doorstep collection model look like for a city like Melbourne?
  5. How can item-level evidence support product stewardship and right-to-repair policy?

How we work

Evidence first
We build only what the research shows people will use and that actually diverts waste.
Honest about uncertainty
We give value ranges, not false precision, and say when we're unsure.
Privacy by design
Photos exist to assess objects. Faces, addresses and personal details are never needed.
Local first
We point people to services that already exist before building anything new.
Ethics approved
Studies involving people will run under university human research ethics approval.

Team

Who we are

Second Shore Lab is led by graduate students at the University of Melbourne who share a belief that the things we import should not have a one-way ticket to landfill.

Jason Zhao

Project Lead

Master of Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Melbourne.

Doctoral Researcher

Research Collaborator

PhD candidate, University of Melbourne. Leads research design and methodology.

You?

Collaborators wanted

We welcome students, researchers and mentors in design, data, sustainability, logistics and policy.

Get involved

Help us find things a second shore

We'd love to hear from people who see this problem up close.

  • Councils & community organisations — share what ends up in hard rubbish and where help is needed.
  • Op-shops, repairers & recyclers — tell us what you can accept, fix or recover.
  • Researchers & mentors — advise on methods, data and real-world operations.
  • Students & residents in Melbourne — join future interviews and pilot studies.

Contact

For research collaboration, partnerships or questions:

Email the team

Jason Zhao, Project Lead
University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC

References

  1. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2025). National Waste and Resource Recovery Report 2024 (2022–23 data).
  2. ITU & UNITAR (2024). The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (2022 data).
  3. CHOICE (2023). Is Australia waking up to its textile waste problem? (2018–19 data).
  4. EPA Victoria. Circularity rate explained; Australian Government (2024), Australia's Circular Economy Framework.