As you all know, I care about the environment A LOT! Because of this, I am always on the lookout for new initiatives and groups that will help lead to further positive change and there is one that is still somewhat relatively new here in the UK that I want to tell you about today – Repair Cafés.

What Is a Repair Café?

A Repair Café is exactly what it sounds like: a welcoming place where people come together to fix things. Often located within a local community hall or church space, Repair Cafés are filled with friendly faces, steaming mugs of tea (maybe a slice of cake, too), and eager volunteers on hand to repair things such as toasters, vacuum cleaners, holey jumpers, lamps, and more. The aim is to prevent unnecessary landfill waste while saving you money.

Why We Need Them More Than Ever

We are (and have been for a number of years) living in a throwaway culture. In the UK alone, we create around 220 million tonnes of waste each year, with around 50.6 million tonnes going to landfill. Of this waste, 1.6 million tonnes is made up of electrical items – that’s about 24 kilograms of e-waste per person – one of the highest rates in the world!! And the frustrating part? We are only recycling around 31% of it.

What makes this worse is that many electrical items that do end up being binned could have easily been saved if only people had got them fixed.

And that’s just electricals. There are clothes, furniture, toys, household items; we live surrounded by stuff, but instead of looking after them or mending them, our consumerist society encourages us to buy more. This has to change and Repair Cafés are playing a key part in making this happen.

It’s Not Just About the Environment

Of course, Repair Cafés are amazing for the planet. Repairing instead of replacing cuts down on carbon emissions, reduces demand for raw materials, and saves energy. For instance, just fixing one smartphone, rather than buying new, could save around 77 kilograms of CO₂. Multiply that by the thousands of items being fixed every year by these Cafés, and you’re looking at a seriously big impact.

But if the environmental facts alone aren’t for you, how about the fact that Repair Cafés will save you money? These initiatives run on donations, so you simply pay what you can afford or what you think the service was worth. Far cheaper than paying for a private repair company or forking out for a brand new appliance etc. At a time when the cost of living is so high, we’ve got to utilise every possible way to save a few pounds.

Community is at the Heart of It

What I love most about these groups is that everyone’s really welcoming. When I first stepped inside one of our local Repair Cafés, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was greeted with a smile, the process was explained, and everyone was chatty and really kind. I was offered drinks, we had a slice of cake and a seamstress gave me information about a group that teaches you how to sew. The volunteers offering to pass on their knowledge – see what I mean about community?

Fancy Getting Involved?

If you’ve got something broken at home, whether it’s a lamp, a pair of jeans, or a dodgy toaster, why not see if there’s a local Repair Café nearby? They’re popping up all over the UK now, and are usually run every month. Or maybe you’ve got a useful skill? Or perhaps you make a killer cup of tea! Volunteers are always needed.

Repair Cafés are such a great example of what real sustainability looks like – hands-on, passionate people-driven, waste prevention and community spirit.

Have you been to a Repair Café yet? Or are you thinking of giving one a go?