Meet the Canberra based eco marketplace helping you help the planet

Posted on 11 August, 2021

Canberra’s answer to an emotionally driven alternative to Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree has finally come to town, but you might have originally known it by another name.

Formerly known as Hey Fritz, Rosella Street is the new face of the eco focused marketplace as it rebrands to follow the progression of its new goals, including the continuing mission to do what they can to protect the environment. 

Founded by Sammy Williamson, Mick Fritschy, and Dilyar Barat, Rosella Street is the ‘digital helping hand’ for those wishing to make more sustainable consumer choices that enables the community to make better use of what they already have. With the immediate goal of reducing waste by 15% within five years in each community it’s adopted in, the ultimate aim of the platform is to help change consumer habits.

“We’re setting this huge goal of saving one billion kilos of waste from landfill because there is such an immediate need for change in our consumer habits,” says Sammy. “The more you use Rosella Street, the more it’s helping achieve that huge goal so we can leave our future generations a cleaner world and reduce the effects of climate change.”  

With power drills, roller skates and gym equipment as just some of the listings on the platform, the options are endless for  people looking to Marie Kondo their life. 

Along with a new look, Rosella Street has some new initiatives. Offering pre-loved items for sale or donation, for every item bought or sold $1 is donated to community and environmental projects. 

Their first mission?  Rosella Street has partnered with the remote aboriginal community of Buymarr in Arnhem Land NT to support their project to plant bush food trees that reduce CO2, provide nutrition to the community and support passing on knowledge.  

“This is the sort of impact people make when they buy and sell second hand items on our platform,” says Mick. “When people rent, we track the avoided waste and then we’re also bringing in donations just to support the community more broadly.”

“It’s free to sign up and people can list things that they want to donate to others in the community.”

  Still offering ID verification and insurance with the promise of no scammers, no fraudsters and no criminals, the team wanted to venture out into buying and selling to follow the ‘natural progression’ of their customers. 

“We’ve found that the rental side of things is exciting for people but it’s not like a natural habitat for them. Whereas buying and selling is something that people do everyday!” says Sammy. “If we can provide a place where they can do it in an eco-friendly way then we’re happy.”

Inspired by nature and the connection of community, Sammy says the new name is the perfect way to sum up who they are. 

“We wanted to encapsulate a really quintessential Australian thing,” says Sammy. “So a rosella is a beautiful Australian bird and the ‘street’ comes from that community closeness…You usually trust people on your street and you would go to someone on your street first if you needed something.”

“We wanted to really encapsulate that feeling and messaging.”

As they look to build communities world-wide, Rosella Street is always looking for new neighbours to join in, reduce the environmental impacts of consumerism and do what they can to help the planet. 

For more information visit rosellastreet.com.