Can you REPAIR IT? Yes you can! Volunteers at community events across Devon and Torbay have repaired dozens of broken electrical items this autumn as part of an initiative to reduce waste.
From September to November nine repair events were held, one in every district and Torbay, giving members of the public the chance to have electrical appliances – including computers – fixed for free.
Thirty skilled menders, including many local businesses such as Any Fix South West, volunteered for the events organised by Recycle Devon, a partnership of 10 Devon councils, in conjunction with local community groups.
Almost 150 people brought along nearly 200 items, 70% of which were either fixed, improved or had the fault diagnosed with the owner given advice on what to do next.
Although these events were one-offs, further similar events are now in the planning which will extend the events to more towns across Devon.
In addition a new Exeter Repair Café launches on 18 February 2017 at St Sidwell’s Community Centre – DOWNLOAD FLYER
Emma Croft, The Re-use Project Co-ordinator who organised the events, said:
“Thank you to all of our volunteer menders as without them these events wouldn’t have happened.
“It was wonderful to have the opportunity to work with some very knowledgeable people – in particular the electronics engineers such as GT Electronics, SMARTech and FIXIT who really could have fixed just about anything.”
Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said:
“Research shows that more than 75% of the small electrical items that come into our recycling centres are repairable.
“These events are designed to help householders waste less and enable them to save money by not having to replace something that could be repaired.”
For full details of the menders who took part, please visit recycledevon.org
To find out more about future similar events or to volunteer your skills, please get in touch with Emma on 07966 566435 or via or visit recycledevon.org/repair-it