Coquitlam is looking for passionate community members who are handy, like fixing things, and want to join the City’s pool of dedicated Repair Café volunteers.
COQUITLAM, B.C., September 9, 2024 – Coquitlam is looking for passionate community members who are handy, like fixing and tinkering with things, and want to share their skills by joining the City’s pool of 36 dedicated Repair Café volunteers.
As a volunteer, your hands-on skills help keep a wide range of items in residents’ homes and out of the landfill. Whether your talents lie in sewing, electrical wiring, bike maintenance or other repairs, you can support our community in reducing overall waste.
Details can be found at coquitlam.ca/RepairCafe.
What are Repair Cafés?
Repair Cafés are volunteer-run events where residents can bring broken items such as clothing, furniture, electrical appliances and gadgets, bicycles, toys, etc. to be repaired for free. Volunteers not only repair the items, but also provide a learning environment for participants who bring items to be repaired. Repair Cafés help to build community and reduce waste at the same time, a win-win.
Save the Date – Saturday, October 5
Coquitlam is celebrating its Repair Café’s one-year anniversary on Saturday, October 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pinetree Community Centre, for residents to bring their small household items that need to be repaired.
The City will also be celebrating their volunteers, who have been able to fix almost 200 items over the past year.
What is the Circular Economy?
In 2022, the Circular Innovation Council expanded Waste Reduction Week into Circular Economy Month to share about the opportunities beyond our “take – make – waste” economy. A circular economy is based on the idea that there is no such thing as waste.
In our present economy, 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 materials to prevent waste in the first place.
The responsibility falls to manufacturers to make longer-lasting and more efficient products designed with repair and reuse as main considerations. Consumers’ responsibility is to consider buying smartly designed products meant to be reused, refurbished and dismantled. Residents can support companies that offer take-back of products after use, as well as participate in City programs like the Repair Café that contribute to recovery or reuse of materials.
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.
Other City Tools to Support Circular Economy
The City of Coquitlam offers a number of programs and tools to help residents and businesses reduce their waste.
- Recycling – In addition to the curbside recycling offered by Recycle BC, residents can take recycling to the United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre, various recycling centres across the city and in Town Centre Park (coquitlam.ca/Recycling)
- Waste Wizard – Use this online search tool to find out how to properly dispose of any item whether that is by donating it or recycling it (coquitlam.ca/WasteWizard)
- 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 such as the free Seasonal Unlimited Yard Trimmings collection (coquitlam.ca/recollect)
- 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 (coquitlam.ca/WasteReduction)
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.