Cafe set to revive art of repair

Move to reduce landfill waste

A GROUP of Toowoomba residents wants to divert broken electronics, toys and furniture from landfill by setting up a volunteer Repair Cafe.

The idea is for an informal meeting place where the community can volunteer their repair knowledge and teach others basic wood working, electrical, sewing and mechanical skills.

But first the organisers need a venue, a team of volunteers and donations to get the project going.

“We throw away vast amounts of stuff, even things with almost nothing wrong and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair,” organiser Sharon Wendt said.

“The trouble is lots of people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves or they no longer know how.

“Society does not always show much appreciation for the people who still have this practical knowledge and against their will they are often left standing on the sidelines.”

With consumer products becoming cheaper by the day, it is easy to replace a busted item, rather than repair it.

Mrs Wendt said learning how to repair broken stuff would fix our struggling environment.

“This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products,” she said.

“It cuts CO2 emissions, for example, because manufacturing new products and recycling old ones causes CO2 to be released,” she said.

“The Repair Café teaches people to see their possessions in a new light, and to, once again, appreciate their value.”

Like all good cafes there will be a place to relax with a coffee.

“Most of all, the Repair Café just wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is.

To lend a had visit facebook.com/repaircafetoowoomba.