COMMUNITY
Repairing the World
Grassroots do-it-yourself groups seek to fix our disposable culture.
By Valerie Howes | Illustrations by Sua Balac
I GREW UP IN THE 1980s in a house full of aging appliances and hand-me-down furniture, clothing and toys. Whether it was a debris-spewing vacuum or a teddy bear who’d lost an eye, if my parents couldn’t fix something themselves, they took it to a specialty shop. My mother taught me how to sew on buttons, and my science teacher, how to wire a plug.
Today, it’s often cheaper to replace than repair an appliance, and easier to click “Buy Now” than to pick up a needle and thread. What’s more, many have generationally lost the skills required to repair common household items. The result: more broken items are thrown out than ever before. Between 2002 and 2022, the amount of annual household waste disposed of in landfills or incinerated in Canada increased by 11 percent to reach 26.6 million tonnes. A University of Waterloo study from 2023 found that Canada’s electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) has more than tripled in the past two decades.
Thankfully, a shift is underway. In 2009, Dutch journalist Martine Postma launched an event she called a “repair café” in Amsterdam. It was a simple concept: volunteers with repair know-how would help participants fix the broken household items they brought in, keeping household goods in circulation and out of the landfill. There would be snacks, skill-building and community. And all of it would be offered free of charge.
The idea caught on, and in 2011, Postma founded the Repair Café Foundation to help diverse communities share information about how to organize their own events. Today, there are an estimated 2,500 repair cafés internationally, where volunteers help interested folks learn how to fix and mend rather than discard and replace. And in Canada, the repair café movement is flourishing, building community connections and offering participants a pathway to greater self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Local fixes, from snow blowers to biker jackets
On the first Saturday of every month, Prince Albert, Sask., locals bring their broken items to the Prince Albert Repair Café, a community sustainability project located inside the city’s science centre. Sometimes, organizer Les Dickson says, the fix is as simple as demonstrating how to clean dust out of a machine’s moving parts. Other times, more personal items make an appearance.
One man brought in his electric violin, Dickson recalls. “We fixed it, then he played a tune for us — that was really fun.” Another brought in a ripped leather jacket that had saved his life in a crash, taking the brunt of a sharp piece of metal. “We didn’t get it looking like it did originally, but he wanted it as a keepsake to remind him how lucky he was,” says Dickson. Dickson originally got involved to share his skills as a tradesperson and help fellow community members save money, reduce waste and learn DIY skills. But he’s also passionate about the Repair Café movement’s advocacy work. “One of the things the Repair Café organization internationally is doing is pushing for right-to-repair legislation that would encourage companies to provide good manuals and parts for items,” Dickson says. “[We’re trying] to encourage manufacturers to make things easier to repair.”
Keeping the wheels spinning
Before there were official community repair cafés, there was The Bike Dump, Winnipeg, Man.’s original community bike repair workshop. For the past 20 years, volunteers have shown up at The Bike Dump’s downtown location three or four times a week to help neighbours fix their bicycles. “It’s a non-hierarchical, 100 percent volunteer-run space,” says volunteer Edward Cloud. “We pay rent and buy tools with donations, so when people give us [their] old bikes, we use some for parts and refurbish and sell some to pay for our expenses.”
Common repairs include fixing cables, brakes and inner tubes, while other bikes need major overhauls. “As an inner-city spot, we see a lot of economically stressed residents who need that bike to make it to the services that keep them going,” says Cloud. And although it can be challenging for individuals to repair their bikes outside of shop hours, without the access to tools or repair stands, Cloud points out that the goal is to help bike owners gain a better understanding of how their bikes work, because knowledge is empowering. “If you sense a problem, it can be terrifying because you don't know if it's fixable, [or] if it's too expensive for what your lifestyle can support,” Cloud says. “So, the more education people have, the more comfort they have with [their] bike.”
Turning textiles around
According to Michelle Closs, owner of Edmonton, Alta.’s Reimagined Fabrics, “There’s enough clothing in this world for the next six to seven generations. We don't need to be bringing new garments into our wardrobes.” Closs runs monthly pop-up clothing repair cafés in Edmonton; each three-hour event takes place at a community league hall in a different neighbourhood.
People show up with unravelled hems, moth holes, or stained clothing in need of strategic patching. (The most common issue, according to Closs? Jeans with the inner thighs worn thin.) But regardless of the repair, “It's an educational exchange,” Closs says. “Volunteers don’t do any of the fixing — they kind of do the hand-holding through the process.” At a clothing repair café, volunteers teach participants a range of skills, all designed to extend the life of the garment and keep it in circulation. “Lots of people learn how to use sewing machines, a really fun skill, or something as simple as how to thread a needle,” says Closs. “Even just sewing on a button is a huge accomplishment.” CAA
FIND ONE IN YOUR AREA
Many Canadian towns and cities host repair cafés on a regular basis. To find one near you, check out the international listings and location map at repaircafe.org, search for regional groups on Facebook, and scan the bulletin boards in your neighbourhood community centre or library.
VOLUNTEER OR DONATE
Repair cafés rely on volunteers with a range of expertise. Whether you’re handy with a screwdriver or a sewing machine, or want to share tools to fix broken items, there’s a place for you at your local repair café. No time right now? Donations help with everything from space rentals to tool purchases to buying snacks and hot drinks for events.
How to get involved
Participating in or organizing a repair café is a rewarding way to connect with your community, reduce waste and learn new skills. Here’s how to do it.
BRING IN A BROKEN ITEM
Got a toaster, toy or favourite pair of jeans that needs some TLC? Bring it to a local event, connect with a repair café volunteer and learn how to fix it. If your item turns out to be beyond saving, at least you’ll know definitively and can dispose of it guilt-free.
START ONE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Want to learn how to start a repair café in your neighbourhood? The International Repair Café Foundation offers digital start-up kits, tips and support to help you organize local events, raise funds and build a team. Learn more at repaircafe.org.