In a generation where the art of mending clothes and household items has been largely lost, a South Coast group and volunteers hope to bring back the culture of valuing material possessions.
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Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance president Kathryn Maxwell said the large amount of rubbish piled up in residential areas during the annual Eurobodalla Shire Council hard waste collection was a sign of a greater problem.
She said the poorest areas generated the most rubbish because cheaper household items, particularly furniture, were poorly made.
Household items might appear cheap, but more plastic was being used, quality had deteriorated and items fell apart easily.
Some people threw out items, such as vacuum cleaners and coffee machines, because they did not know how to clean them.
The Eurobodalla Repairs Cafe opened at the Red Door Hall at Moruya on Friday, August 28.
It will operate every Friday, from 10am to 2pm, and would educate participants on how to repair and reuse items.
Volunteers with a wealth of skills and experience would teach others how to make simple repairs that could save unnecessary waste.
Ms Maxwell said 13 volunteers were part of the weekly workshop, including a catering team, and would provide a fun and sociable environment where participants could share ideas. The skills of mending and repairing were lost to two generations, but the repairmen and women could pass down their knowledge. Ms Maxwell said the council needed to be firmer on the amount of rubbish residents could dispose of during the annual clean-up, and should provide residents with more education on the three-bin system.
Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips said the repairs cafe was "just the thing" the region needed right now, and was a friendly environment. Parish of Moruya rector Linda Chapman and Eurobodalla Shire Councillor Anthony Mayne attended the opening.
