Repair Café saves more than money

VOLUNTEERS at Ballarat Repair Café are celebrating, after saving ninety-eight items from landfill last year.

Across six events in 2019, the repairers managed to keep 245 kilograms worth of objects from being dumped, discarded or disposed of, with no charge to customers.

The team also sold over 145 coffees to visitors, with the profits being donated back to the workshop to afford consumables such as glue and solder.

Founder Mary Duff said the café can fix domestic items that can be carried in, but often are asked to repair significant objects.

“Sometimes the things people bring in are really old and quite sentimental, so it means a lot to them and to us if we’re able to restore that item,” she said.

Between July and October of 2019, the café had a 63 per cent success rate, a number which is set to increase after the organisation received a $3000 grant from the Federal government.

The funding will be used to purchase electrical appliance testing equipment, while also hoping to train the volunteers to be able to repair objects more efficiently.

Ms Duff said one of the main goals of the café is to help teach customers how to patch-up items themselves.

“It’s very important that people can develop skills of their own to keep things out of landfill,” she said. “It’s a very low hanging fruit in the area of trying to save the planet.”

The events are held on the last Saturday of every month through 2020, besides December.

For more information on upcoming events or to get involved with the Repair Café, visit repaircafeballarat.com.au.