A community sustainability project launching this weekend wants to help people turn their trash into treasure.
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The free Launceston Repair Café - a volunteer-led project where experts return broken items to working order - will open its doors for the first time on Saturday at Pilgrim Church Hall.
Part of a global movement of Repair Cafes, Launceston Council is facilitating the local iteration. During the Inveresk Sustainability Living Festival in March, the council piloted a stall version of the service to great success.
"We had a really fantastic turnout," said Alison Roush, a City of Launceston sustainability officer.
"That got us thinking about the possibility of a monthly pop up, which is where we're at now, but what we really want is this to be as community led as possible so we can step back and do admin and let it grow itself."
Repair Cafés have been successful sustainability measures across the globe: more than 350 tonnes of material annually are diverted through Repair Cafés worldwide.
"We're trying to be a part of that and encourage people to come and bring their broken items and learn how to fix them," Ms Roush said.
"It's about getting people to think of fixing rather than throwing something away and purchasing a cheap new product."
More than 20 expert repairers from a range of technical fields will help fix everything from electronics and clothing to furniture, bikes and power tools at the Cafe when it launches this weekend.
But the experts won't only be repairing things, they'll also be sharing knowledge and teaching patrons how to do their own tinkering, and changing perceptions around our consumption.
"There's no such thing as a bad bike," said Matt Gordon, a volunteer bicycle repairman at the Café.
"I think we can change mindsets with this place. Everything's fixable; people just don't give them the time that they deserve."
The inaugural Repair Café will be held this Saturday, April 20, from 1 to 4pm in the Pilgrim Church Hall at 34 Paterson St.
People can find out more and register items online at repaircafe.org/en/cafe/launceston-repair-cafe/