Community Repair for a Circular Economy

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Newbury and Thatcham Repair Café, where I met the volunteers helping to keep usable items out of landfill. It was great to see so many people committed to reducing the impact of consumerism on the planet, and wonderful to see so many from the local community benefiting from this free service. 

Every year, millions of repairable items are thrown away in the UK, adding unnecessary pressure on landfill sites and wasting valuable resources. This ‘throwaway culture’ has developed because the availability of cheap goods makes it easier and more affordable to replace instead of repairing them. 

That’s where the Repair Café initiative comes in. Taking place once per month, these cafes tackle the problem of high repair costs and a lack of repair skills by bringing together expert volunteers to provide a free repair service to residents. 

Despite the value they provide, repair cafés still encounter barriers that make their work harder than it should be. One of the biggest hurdles repair cafés face is the difficulty of sourcing spare parts. Many modern products are intentionally designed to make repairing them difficult, with sealed units, proprietary screws, glued‑in batteries, or components that can only be purchased through the manufacturer. Even when volunteers have the skills, they’re often held back by a lack of access to the parts needed to complete a fix.

This is where the wider movement for a “Right to Repair” becomes so important. The Repair and Reuse Declaration, supported by organisations across the UK and Europe, calls for:

• Products to be designed for the long-term

• Spare parts to be made affordable and accessible

• For consumers to have the freedom to repair the things they own

Repair Cafés are an important piece in this puzzle, providing an accessible and affordable way for consumers to extend the life of items they own. Considering that manufacturing accounts for a significant portion of global emissions, they play a crucial role in helping the UK move toward its net‑zero targets. By encouraging consumers to repair instead of replace items, they reduce waste, conserve resources, and encourage more sustainable consumption.

The Newbury and Thatcham Repair Café is a perfect example of how, with the right support, repairing items can become a normal part of a products lifecycle.

The Repair Café runs once per month in both Newbury and Thatcham and is free to attend. You can find information about upcoming events, or enquire about becoming a volunteer on their website.