Derry and Strabane urged to recycle their electricals via new project, Switch to Repair, at Repair C
15 March 2024
Switch to Repair, organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council, in partnership with Repair and Share Foyle, today unveils its plans to encourage local residents to repair, instead of buying brand new electrical items. The first Repair Cafe will take place on 23rd March in Strabane in a bid to cut down on the amount of electrical items that locals are throwing away, and which end up in landfill.
This is one of over 40 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not for profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, who have provided £30,502 in support. Derry City and Strabane District Council are joining other projects around the UK in making it easier for 10 million people to recycle their electricals.
The series of Repair Cafes, run by volunteers, alongside the council’s official partners, Repair and Share Foyle, are scheduled to be held throughout the District and will be rolled out over the year, with a repair cafe held twice a month. Local residents will benefit by having their broken electrical items, alongside other items found in homes like toys and furniture repaired. The Repair Cafes offer an alternative to having to buy brand new items for their household.
Small household electrical items including toasters and kettles, laptops, toys, sewing machines as well as small pieces of furniture can be taken to the Repair Cafes to be fixed by experts.
The Council are seeking experienced volunteers with a knack for repairing, crafting and mending to contribute their skills and help keep the electricals we use out of landfill. Volunteers will have the opportunity to upskill and learn while on the job. To sign up visit www.derrystrabane.com/apply
Residents will be made aware of how and where they can recycle their electricals through information on leaflets and on eye-catching posters featuring HypnoCat. Keep an eye out for HypnoCat, the Recycle Your Electricals mesmerising pink, fluffy mascot, who is on a mission to hypnotise local residents into recycling their electricals.
The aim of the nationwide Electricals Recycling Fund is to significantly reduce e-waste and its environmental impact by making it easier for consumers to recycle their electricals. The projects that have been funded by Material Focus include a variety of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to more drop-off points in schools, community centres, and bring banks. Overall, there will be over 400 new collection points plus kerbside collections for 5.5 million UK residents.
Recycle Your Electricals research has shown that 80% of consumers believe recycling is a good thing, and many of us already recycle things like paper and plastic. Research has also shown that most of us have unwanted electricals we want to get rid of. On average there are at least 30 electricals hidden away in drawers in UK homes, a total of 880 million items across the UK - with a simple repair many could be donated or sold to people who could put them to good use. And yet 39% of people bin electricals, rather than recycle or reuse them leading to over 100,000 tonnes of electricals thrown away every year. The aim of these projects is to overcome these issues by making it easier to repair, donate or recycle electricals.
Caroline McGuinness-Brooks, Repair and Share Foyle said: “Engaging communities in the act of repair helps us to raise the importance of responsible consumption. More importantly it enables us to share skills that are often lost and in these acts we become active participants in the fight against climate change".
Nicola McCool, Council’s Waste Services Manager, encourages everyone to visit the Repair Cafés. She said: “The rule of thumb is, if it can be carried into the venue then we’ll give fixing it a try. We will have a wealth of experienced volunteers ready to help inject life back into much-loved items and save them from going into landfill. Not only are we helping to protect the planet, but we are also saving local residents money in the long run.
“If we can save households from buying something brand new, then that’s even better! We will also be offering Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) on all electrical items.”
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Patricia Logue, said the idea is “brilliant” and she “can’t wait to visit a Repair Café” herself.
“I would love to see many people right across the city and district use this service over the coming year. It has a huge wealth of benefits and I look forward to seeing how it could develop in the future. Not only are we keeping working items out of landfill, but we are also saving our residents money and giving volunteers the opportunity to upskill and learn about their household items.
“We all have something lying around the house that we keep meaning to get fixed, or perhaps we think we’ll just buy a new one instead. With these Repair Café’s right on our doorstep throughout 2024, we won’t have that excuse anymore.”
"We are pleased to support Switch to Repair that addresses the pressing issue of e-waste.” said Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus. "By investing in improved collection and drop-off services and exploring new recycling methods, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more sustainable future by making it easier for 10 million more people to recycle their electricals,” she continued.
The first Repair Café will take place at The Alley Theatre, Strabane, from 10:30 - 12:30 on Saturday 23rd March.
To find your nearest recycling point search recycle your electricals