Mobile repair and reuse events coming to Cardiff this summer!
Repair Café Wales and Benthyg Cymru will be taking to the streets this summer to bring repairing and borrowing to different communities around the city. They will hold joint pop-up events in a specially-adapted electric van that will enable them to run events at a range of locations.
Cardiff residents will be able to reserve items in advance and collect them at events to borrow at low cost for a week or more at a time. A wide range of items will be available to borrow including pressure washers, gazebos, hedge trimmers and camping equipment. People will also bring along broken items from their homes that are in need of repair, as well as items they wish to donate to be borrowed by others in the future. The project will work with existing volunteers and projects, providing a range of new volunteering opportunities along the way.
The idea for the scheme came about as a way to give Cardiff residents access to repair cafes and library of things items while supporting COVID restrictions around minimising travel and avoiding indoor gatherings, and is being supported by Cardiff Council as part of its waste reduction strategy. The scheme will launch at Railway Gardens in Splott on June 19th with the full programme of events available in the coming weeks.
Cardiff residents who would like the project to visit their neighbourhood are invited to email mobilecardiff@benthyg-cymru.org.
Jane Booty, Director of Benthyg Cymru said:
“We are really looking forward to residents across Cardiff being able to join us in embracing repair and reuse. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to the sharing economy whilst helping to sustain the planet.
Phoebe Brown, Director of Repair Café Wales said:
“Repair Cafes and Libraries of Things bring so many benefits to the communities they serve including reducing waste, saving money and improving wellbeing. We are thrilled that the electric van will enable even more communities across Cardiff to access these benefits.”
Cllr Michael Michael, Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Recycling and Environment said:
“The council is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling as much of the city’s waste as possible, so that we can strive towards the challenging waste targets that have been set by Welsh Government.
“The reuse scheme by Benthyg Cymru, and Repair Café Wales is an excellent way of encouraging people to re-use, repair or borrow an item, rather than buying new products, which will save people money as well as benefitting the environment.
“We have to move away from a ‘throwaway society’ that has developed in recent years. Waste has to be seen as a resource and we will continue to work with community groups and interested parties to promote waste re-use schemes across the city.”
Further information: The project is being supported by Cardiff Council and run by: Benthyg Cymru – a Community Interest Company set up to develop a network of Libraries of Things around Wales and Repair Café Wales – a Community Interest Company set up to develop a network of repair cafes around Wales. The project is being funded by Welsh Government via the Circular Economy Fund and Community Foundation Wales.
Libraries of Things and Repair Cafes were cited in the recent Welsh government ‘Beyond Recycling’ strategy as facilities that will help to grow the circular economy in Wales and achieve zero waste targets by 2050. Benthyg is a welsh word meaning borrow or lend.
Interviews available on request, contact Ella Smillie 07734444882 or ella@benthyg-cymru.org
The attached photo features the electric van that will be used at these events and Ella Smillie, director and co-founder of Benthyg Cymru.
