Planning for the City of Whittlesea's first repair café is underway in an initiative that will encourage residents to rethink their waste and look to fix rather than ditch broken household items.
The repair café at Mernda Community House is a partnership between Whittlesea Community Connections and the City of Whittlesea and will be staffed by skilled community volunteers.
Chair Administrator Lydia Wilson said supporting community repair cafes is an action in the City of Whittlesea's Rethinking Waste Plan 2021-2030 and one of the ways Council plans to tackle the current 'throw-away' culture.
"We're excited to be partnering with Whittlesea Community Connections on this creative approach to waste minimisation," Ms Wilson said.
"Having a local repair café right here in Mernda will mean residents can choose to fix items such as woodwork, textiles, small electrical appliances and bikes, rather than bin them."
Mernda Community House Coordinator Paras Christou has been busy laying the groundwork for the repair café at the site and recruiting volunteers who will help residents once the café opens. Paras said she was proud to be part of such an exciting initiative.
"As consumers, it has become easier to buy something new than fix it. We want to try to make a small difference in the amount of waste sent to landfill and help people give their products a second life," she said.
The repair café recently received funding through the Victorian Government's Recycling Communities Fund.
