Tracey Darch from the Isle of Wight Repair Cafe, explains why so many Island residents have been flocking to the monthly Repair Cafes. Ed
New data suggests that the cost of living crisis means people are buying cheaper and less environmentally friendly goods. But there are ways you could save money and keep items out of landfill at the same time.
The Isle of Wight’s Repair Cafe is held once a month on Saturdays (next on on 15th April) at Quay Arts in Newport and the January event was the busiest one we’ve had since we started in September 2021.
What is a Repair Cafe?
Repair Cafes are an international movement that are all about repairing things (together).
We have expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields.
Visitors bring their broken items from home. Together with the specialists they start making their repairs in the Repair Cafe.
Items being brought for repair changing
The type of items we have had recently seem to be changing too – we certainly found that this time there were a lot more everyday items such as coffee machines and toasters, although some of the toasters were not economically repairable.
Previous Repair Cafes as well as having a selection of appliances, have included more unusual items that people have been keeping for a long time in the hope that they may one day be repaired, such as eight track stereos, treasured lamps with old fashioned flex, even Nintendo 64 units which wouldn’t be classed as essentials.
One of our regular visitors to Repair Cafe said,
“These items would have ended up in Lynnbottom tip otherwise, and in the current climate I wouldn’t have been buying a new replacement”.
In a lot of cases the repair is often a simple one, a loose connection in a plug which can be fixed with just a screwdriver and the knowledge of how to repair it.
Not just electrical
We don’t just deal with electrical items. We regularly have textile repairers who can repair tears in clothing and advise on simple home mending.
I learnt how to darn so that I could repair some wool walking socks that would be around £20 to replace new.
We also have experts in electronic items such as laptops and tablets that can help with software issues.
Lifestyle changes to help climate change
Recent research by the Office for National Statistics [ONS] suggests that fewer people are making lifestyle changes to help climate change.
According to the survey in the UK, 75 per cent of adults made changes in 2022, compared with 81 per cent in 2021, with costs being one of the top reasons.
More worried about cost of living crisis than climate change
Similarly, Zurich UK found that 61 per cent of 2,000 young people between the ages of 18-34 surveyed as part of their Youth Against Carbon campaign said they were more worried about the cost of living crisis than climate change.
The environmental cost of chucking stuff away
So what is the cost of unwanted or broken items just being dumped?
- In 2021, 491,212 tonnes of Household Waste electrical and electronic equipment were collected in the UK, according to the UK Environment Agency
- It takes a lot of energy to make these things, which in turn releases carbon emissions
- Each year the average household spends about £1,170 on clothes and shoes and £1,768 on household goods and services like furniture and appliances, according to the ONS
Find out more about the Repair Cafe via their Twitter feed or on their Facebook Page.
