It’s thought around 3000 pianos are finding their way from Australian homes to the tip every year in what’s been called a national shame.
Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace is littered with adverts of pianos mainly as giveaways, with many owners blaming a lack of space in the home.
Mike Hendy, who has dedicated his life to saving pianos, said they’re also not easy or cheap to move which is adding to the pianos’ downfall.
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Mike Hendry has become a passionate advocate for saving pianos rather than see them go to landfill. (A Current Affair)
“I watched a guy put a sledgehammer through a beautiful piano and I thought there’s got to be a better answer than that,” Hendry from Pianos Recycled said.
His family business not only takes in unwanted pianos, but also repurposes the wood for their sentimental owners.
“From salt and pepper shakers to dining tables and jewellery boxes,” he said.
“We’re not in a position where we can cope with the demand, truthfully. Councils won’t pick them up and pianos that find their way into landfill won’t decompose.”
The piano played its way into Australia’s heart long ago; it came ashore at Sydney Cove with the First Fleet in 1788 and that very piano is now being restored and cared for in the United Kingdom.
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The history of pianos in Australia dates back to the First Fleet. (A Current Affair)
“Statistically speaking, Australia had the biggest piano ownership in the world from federation to the 1920s,” Hendry said.
“For many lower and middle-class families, the piano was possibly the most expensive acquisition they’d make in their lifetime because they wouldn’t aspire to home ownership.”
Abi Taylor from Bondi recently tried to offload her beloved piano and was thankful specialised removalist Anthony Elliott from Careful Removers stepped in to rehome it.
“It was really hard (but) it was either my daughter or the piano,” she said.
“There’s love for pianos and it makes me super happy that Howard’s (the piano) off to a great new place.”
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