Get It Fixed At The Repair Cafe
By Annalise Stenekes – Special to SUNonline/Orillia
Community members will be getting together this month to host the Repair Cafe for the second time in 2024, following up on the April event which was a huge success. This is the 7th event in Orillia since it began in 2018.
A total of 234 kg of waste was diverted from the landfill at the last event and organizers are hoping that more will be saved this time especially since the event has gained traction. This free and unique pop up community event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 26 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. James Anglican Church and is being supported by Sustainable Orillia and Lake Country Time Trade.
At previous events, a diverse assortment of items found renewed purpose through repairs; such as pants hemmed, computer glitches fixed, and wobbly furniture legs stabilized, in addition to toys, small gadgets, lamps and personal belongings were some of the over 70 items brought back to life.
People are invited to bring items that are broken or need mending and volunteer fixers will try to repair those items. Volunteers with a variety of skills will be offering their help to turn would-be trash into treasure.
Handy volunteers will be on site to attempt repairs for the following:
- Electronics (DVD players, stereos, computer hardware, etc.).
- Electrical items (hair dryers, kitchen appliances, etc.).
- General repairs
- Household items (fans, lamps etc.)
- Jewellery
- Sewing/fabrics/mending (basic mending like patches, zippers, hems)
- Toys
- And more
Light refreshments will be available and the event will also feature activities for children. Although there is no cost to have the items repaired, the organizers will accept donations to help keep the event ongoing.
The repair cafe concept started in Amsterdam in 2009 when Martine Postma was feeling frustrated with society’s throw away culture and decided to take action. Repair Cafe events are now run across the world saving money, reducing landfill waste, cutting CO2 emissions, promoting learning and fostering community connections.
(Images Supplied)
