Posted on: Friday 13 October 2023
Volunteers who repair small electrical items free of charge are celebrating their first year.
Since opening in October 2022, the Torfaen Repair Cafe has repaired 141 electrical items and prevented another 22 items from being thrown away by recommending replacement parts.
The cafe, in Pontypool Indoor Market, is run by Torfaen Council and Wastesavers Charitable Trust and managed by volunteers like Ian Pearce.
It is open Wednesdays, between 9.30am until 12.30am.
Small items, such as kettles, toasters, and small vacuum cleaners, can be taken to the shop for diagnosis and free repair, if it can be done onsite.
Councillor Mandy Owen, Executive Member for the Environment, said: "Repairing and reusing items is more cost-effective and better for the environment because it reduces the amount of rubbish being thrown away.
“The Repair Cafe team has done a great job repairing so many items with a small number of volunteers. If you are interested in helping Wastesavers to increase capacity, please get in touch."
Alun Harris, Wastesaver Charitable Trust, said: “Repair and reuse is a growing factor in Wales’s aim to be net zero carbon by 2030, and Repair Cafés will be an integral part of this over the coming years.
“These will be a great facility for households to repair items they would otherwise throw out.
“Wastesavers are extremely grateful to be running the Pontypool Repair Café in partnership with Torfaen Council.”
The Torfaen Repair café joins a network of repair cafes know as Repair Cafe Wales.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer at the café can contact Ian Pearce on IanPearce@wastesavers.co.uk or 01633 281287 / 07824991667
Torfaen Council is aiming to increase household recycling to 70 per cent by 2025.
Increasing recycling and responding to the climate and nature emergencies is also one of the well-being objectives in the council’s County Plan.