Repair Café builds circular solutions

At Terrigal Uniting Church, a grassroots initiative is changing the way locals think about waste.

The Repair Café, co-ordinated by Barry and Lesley Earp with the help of volunteers, opens on the last Saturday of each month.

People bring in everything from jewellery and clothing to knives, tools and small mechanical items.

Volunteers not only fix them but also show owners how to do the repairs themselves.

“As a church, we have been very concerned about the environment,” Lesley Earp said.

“In late 2019, my husband and I saw a news story about a repair café in Lane Cove as a way to prevent landfill.

“From there, we put the idea forward to Minister Richard, who approved the scheme.”

The model is part of the global Repair Café International movement.

At Terrigal, the social impact is just as important as the environmental one.

“It’s become a real focus with barista coffee, cakes, and woodfired pizzas available during that time as well, so people can have a chat and enjoy some community time,” Earp said.

Attendance is strong, with 80–100 people dropping in for each session.

Elsewhere, the concept has been expanded.

In Tasmania, The ReDress Hub has taken the idea further by combining education, workshops, and the sale of remade clothing.

A recent fashion collection of reworked pieces, made from a ton of diverted fabrics, was a hit.

Spokesperson Kirsty Máté said the event was like a 1960s fashion show.

“We put a lot of work into them,” she said.

“These are all handmade, and every item is bespoke.”

Based on 2025 Clean Up Australia data, Australia is the second-largest consumer of textiles globally.

Each Australian disposes of an average of 23kg of clothing in landfill each year, and Australia has no systemic approach for collecting and reusing unwearable clothing.

These efforts come as waste continues to be a pressing issue on the Central Coast.

The Mangrove Mountain landfill sits within the region’s water catchment, raising environmental concerns.

While Council’s Buttonderry Waste Management Facility has been recognised as best practice, the sight of usable items left for landfill remains common.

“I am dismayed at the amount and quality of items lining the streets, waiting to be collected for landfill,” Ettalong local Nadia Townsend said.

“Much of this could be reused, upcycled, or recycled if there were functional systems and public interest.”

Globally, the circular economy offers a framework for tackling these challenges, aiming to keep resources in use for as long as possible.

Experts argue it is essential for meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly around sustainable consumption and climate action.

Local repair cafés, makerspaces and community initiatives are key building blocks, enabling people to learn skills, extend the life of household goods, and shift attitudes away from disposable culture.

Earp says one of the sad things is the loss of skills, and she hopes younger generations will be inspired by the initiative.

“Most of us doing the mending and fixing are ageing now,” she said.

“This also presents challenges with the physicality of set up and pack down on the days.

“Recruiting volunteers with skills and people willing to help is important to the continuity of the movement.

“Being able to repair small electrical items would be great, but most of the time we do not have a licensed electrician.”

The Terrigal Repair Café runs at Terrigal Uniting Church, 380 Terrigal Dr, Terrigal, from 10am-1pm on September 27, October 25 and November 29, resuming January 31 and February 28, 2026. The group will also run an information stall at the Sustainable Future Festival in The Entrance on November 15.

Ivona Rose