It is well known that reducing waste needs to be a priority for all of us, especially in today’s living crisis. Litter makes the area that we live in less appealing, and seeing it can influence people into thinking that it is okay to also litter, since there is already a mess. In addition to this, many things are wasted as some people do not realise that they can be fixed. Therefore, it is not only important to stop littering, but also to stop throwing away things that can be repaired or given to someone else. Whether it be food, clothes, or electricals, the impact that donating or fixing can have should not be underestimated.

Redbridge, along with other boroughs, is holding events to prevent this waste. On the 15th of October, the Repair Café was opened. The Repair Café is a project done by Redbridge that aims on reducing waste by allowing locals to bring in broken items, such as toys, clothing, and small electricals, and have them fixed, rather than throwing them away. This saves money and allows for the community to come together and even exchange some items in a toy “swap and take” project. Krisztina Vamos, one of the people organising the event, says that “the event was extremely popular, and we had so many people bringing in things to repair, that when we opened the doors, we already had a long queue trailing outside!”. Over 100 people came to the last event, and as it has been building in popularity, in future, the plan is to “organise regular Repair Cafés". If this type of event sounds good and you would like to attend, Vamos says "another community group, Transition Town have also started their own regular event in Ilford Central Library which runs every two weeks”, so look out for the next Repair Café or visit Ilford Central Library!