Coquitlam is celebrating its one-year anniversary Repair Café.
COQUITLAM, B.C., September 25, 2024 – Coquitlam is celebrating its one-year anniversary Repair Café on Saturday, October 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pinetree Community Centre (1260 Pinetree Way, Rooms 5 and 6), and residents are invited to bring their items to be repaired.
The City will also be recognizing their incredible Repair Café volunteers, who have fixed almost 200 items over the past year. Event Details are at coquitlam.ca/RepairCafe.
What are Repair Cafés?
Repair Cafés are volunteer-run events where residents bring broken items such as clothing, furniture, electrical appliances and gadgets, bicycles, toys, and more 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 build community and reduce waste at the same time, a win-win.
What is the Circular Economy?
This Repair Café kicks off the start of Circular Economy month, where the Circular Innovation Council encourages education opportunities beyond our “take – make – waste” economy. A circular economy is based on the idea that there is no such thing as waste – 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
Volunteer and Connect with Like-minded Community Members at Repair Cafés
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.
Media contact:
Jenny Tough
Manager, Environmental Education and Enforcement
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.