COQUITLAM, B.C., April 19, 2024 – Coquitlam residents are invited to bring small household items that need to be repaired to the City’s Repair Café on Saturday, April 27.
The café will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dogwood Pavilion (1655 Winslow Street). Visit coquitlam.ca/RepairCafe to find a list of items you can bring and learn about volunteer opportunities.
What are Repair Cafés?
Repair Cafés are volunteer-run events where residents can bring broken items to be repaired for free. April 27 is Coquitlam’s third Repair Cafe where residents can bring items to be repaired such as clothing, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles and toys. Stay and watch your item get repaired by skilled volunteers and you might learn some new repair skills yourself!
If you would like to participate as a volunteer in the upcoming event, the City is looking for people who are handy and like tinkering and fixing things, or who simply want to help out in the community. Volunteers with electrical repair and textile repair skills are specifically needed for upcoming events. Details can be found at coquitlam.ca/RepairCafe.
Seeking a Host Organization
Coquitlam is seeking a local organization interested in running Repair Café events in the future, with support from the City. Coquitlam will provide event space, funding for tools, supplies, food, volunteer appreciation, advertisement and assistance with volunteer recruitment.
An interested 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 team work, and reduce waste at the same time, a win-win!
Repair Cafés and the Circular Economy
A circular economy is based on the idea that there is no such thing as waste. In our present economy, most often materials are taken from the earth, and products created from those resources are disposed of as trash when they are finished — the process is linear. In the circular economy, the goal is to design products with their end of life in mind, recovering and reusing their materials to prevent waste.
The circular economy has an important role to play in addressing climate change by reducing emissions associated with how we make and use products and produce and dispose of food. To learn more about how Coquitlam is taking climate action visit letstalkcoquitlam.ca/ClimatePlan.
Residents can support companies that offer take-back of products after use, as well as participate in City programs, like the Repair Café, which contribute to recovery or the reuse of materials.
Circular Economy Support
The City of Coquitlam offers a number of programs and tools to help local residents and businesses reduce their waste, as well as water and energy consumption.
- Composting – Turn yard trimmings and food scraps into rich soil for your garden; the City offers composting tips and backyard composters at a subsidized price of $28 for Coquitlam residents (coquitlam.ca/WasteReduction).
- Curbside Collection app – Residents who receive City waste collection can download the free Coquitlam Curbside Collection app to receive helpful waste-reduction tips, waste-sorting information and reminders for collection days, as well as notifications for special programs (coquitlam.ca/ReCollect).
- Recycling – In addition to the curbside recycling offered by Recycle BC, the City has a recycling depot available to Coquitlam residents free of charge in Town Centre Park; residents can also use the United Boulevard Recycling & Waste Centre (coquitlam.ca/recycling).
- Waste Wizard – Use this online search tool to find find local disposal options for various items (coquitlam.ca/WasteWizard).
Coquitlam Community Results
Waste-diversion successes in Coquitlam include:
Media contact:
Jenny Tough
Environmental Education Enforcement Manager
epw@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3500
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.