ABOUT 1600 items weighing 3 tonnes – the same as a bobcat – have been diverted from landfill on the Border since 2015.
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Repair Cafe coordinator Lizette Salmon said while 3 tonnes had been diverted from landfill, the true weight of the items was 90 tonnes.
“All manufactured goods come with an ecological rucksack that takes into consideration the weight of materials involved in extraction, manufacture and distribution,” she said.
“For example, manufacturing one toothbrush produces 1.5kg of waste, a mobile phone 75kg and a computer 1500kg; the average ecological rucksack is 30 times the weight of the final product.”
Repair Cafe Albury-Wodonga was the first in Victoria; now there are 20, including Beechworth and Wangaratta.
The Repair Cafe opens the first Saturday of each month fixing clothing, furniture, jewellery, battery-operated appliances, bikes and garden tools from 10am to 1pm at the Sustainable Activity Centre in Wodonga.
This Saturday’s session will also feature hand-stitched leather repairs to handbags, luggage, swags, belts and dog collars, as well as costume jewellery and soldering.
The Repair Cafe is one of more than 40 events being hosted on the Border during the Albury Wodonga Sustainable Living Festival from November 1-30.
For the full program visit: alburywodonga.gov.au/slf
