City of Coquitlam Holds Repair Café at the Maillardville Community Centre on April 26th

As of October 2023, the City of Coquitlam has been running its own Repair Café program to divert unwanted items away from the landfill, or at the very least, extending their lifetime and delaying their inevitable delivery to the landfill. By LJI reporter Geoff Scott.

Coquitlam residents are encouraged to bring in broken household items that require repair during one of their Repair Café events, which are held four times a year. In advance of each event, the City of Coquitlam puts a call out for any volunteers who may be able to contribute their skills. The city is always looking for volunteers who are capable of repairing small electronic appliances / mechanical devices, but carpenters, seamstresses, bicycle repairmen, people with skills fixing computers, and graduates of the Red Green School of Repair are all welcome to come out to lend a hand.

Residents who bring in items to be repaired are encouraged to stay while their item is being repaired so that they can learn the skills necessary to continue to extend the life of said item once they take it home.

Of the six Repair Café events the City of Coquitlam has held so far, over 450 people have brought in just over 600 items in need of repair, and close to 300 items were successfully repaired.

Caresse Selk, Manager of Environment for the City of Coquitlam, feels that the Repair Café program aligns with the City of Coquitlam's Environmental Sustainability Plan as one of its goals is to minimize waste generation.

The first Repair Café event for 2025 has already been held in January, but if you missed this event, fret not, the next Repair Café will be held on April 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Maillardville Community Centre, 1200 Cartier Ave. in Coquitlam.

The City of Coquitlam is seeking a local organization interested in running its Repair Café events in the future. The city will support the organization by providing event space, funding for tools, supplies, food, volunteer appreciation, advertisement and assistance with volunteer recruitment.

A supporting organization would plan and run the events, coordinate the volunteers, obtain supplies and report back repair statistics from each event. Repair Cafés help build community by encouraging shared knowledge and teamwork, and reduce waste at the same time- a win-win! For more information, check out the city website.