Sometimes a minor repair is all that’s needed to breathe life back into broken appliances.
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Instead of discarding our busted electrical items, wonky furniture or torn clothes to further clog up landfill, a group on the Border is looking to kickstart a repair cafe that focuses on fixing things.
The idea behind the cafe is to provide a free meeting place for visitors to bring in items from home and learn how to mend them with help from volunteer specialists such as electricians, carpenters and fabric repairers.
Albury-Wodonga repair cafe co-ordinator Lizette Salmon said as well as the environmental gains, a cafe of this nature could deliver huge social benefits to communities including the opportunity for positive intergenerational interaction.
“We throw away vast amounts of stuff already – even things with almost nothing wrong,” Ms Salmon said.
“The trouble is most people don’t know how to repair things and fewer commercial outlets are specialising in repairs. People are often told it’s cheaper to just buy a new one.”
With Australia in the unenviable position of having the highest per capita volume of e-waste in the world – with an average of 20 kilograms produced per person per year – and Albury’s landfill set to run out of space in the next 10 years, Ms Salmon said it was time for a cultural shift away from today’s “toss it” mentality.
“With a repair cafe, things can be used for longer and they don’t have to be thrown away,” she said.
“This reduces energy needed to make and transport products, cutting greenhouse emissions and minimising pressure on landfill.”
Ms Salmon said the other benefit of the cafe concept was the opportunity to build social capital.
“It would be a great chance for older, skilled members of our community to meet and pass on the lost art of repair to their neighbours or other residents,” she said.
Established in the Netherlands in 2009, the repair cafe model has spread to Australia with one in Marrickville, Sydney and the other in Mullumbimby.
Border supporters will test community demand for a cafe here with a pilot program over four sessions at the Wodonga Senior Citizens Centre starting in November during Albury-Wodonga Sustainable Living Week.
To get the ball rolling the group is looking for volunteers (electrical repairers, carpenters, people with sewing skills and general “handymen”) to offer their skills as well as donations of tools and materials and assistance with catering.
The Albury-Wodonga Repair Cafe will also eventually need a permanent space to call home if it "captures the community’s imagination”.
To offer assistance, contact Lizette Salmon on 0468 320 647 or at lizette@salmonfamily.id.au