An electrical repair event taking place tomorrow (Saturday February 11) is part of Wastebusters’ efforts to reduce waste and move towards a circular economy.

Locals can take their broken electronics into Wastebusters between 10am and 2pm and registered electrician Russell Stephens and electronics expert Greg Fawcett will have a go at fixing them.

Wastebusters events and projects manager Chelsea Holdom said the organisation’s previous Repair Revolution events - repair-cafe style events to fix a range of broken goods - have been a huge success.

Tomorrow’s event will be the first dedicated event for repairing electronics.

“We were inspired to trial electrical repairs as we get a huge range of these in at our Repair Revolution events - countless toasters, 20+ year old dehydrators, brand new phones, even an e-bike - and most are dubious about bringing them in as they presume they are beyond repair,” Chelsea told the Wānaka App. 

“Options for repairing electrical appliances and electronics are often expensive, and options for replacing them are becoming increasingly cheaper. We want to make repair options more affordable to inspire a shift to a more circular economy.”

When electrical goods (e-waste) end up in landfill it can be particularly harmful.

“Electrical waste items contain many hazardous materials such as toxic heavy metals and chemicals in plastic casings which, when put in a landfill, can contaminate our water and soil,” Chelsea said. 

“This can have some pretty serious implications on the water we drink and the food we eat so it's super important we keep these things out of landfill.”

Ideally they would be repaired or recycled (e-waste recycling is available through Wastebusters for a fee) and, Chelsea said, “eventually we would like to see a compulsory product stewardship scheme put in place for all e-waste so the producer takes on the cost of recycling rather than the consumer.”

Chelsea said Wastebusters was lucky to have Russell and Greg’s assistance for Saturday’s event.

“These two are regulars at our Repair Revolution events who love to solve problems and fix things so much they often take items home to finish repairing for people.”

They will “have a go at fixing anything in the realms of electrical appliances and electronics”.

Russell and Greg are among the many volunteers who have helped make previous repair events successful.

“From our events last year an outstanding 94 percent of items brought in were repairable and saved from landfill,” Chelsea said. 

“It's an awesome thing to see the world get a little better with every repair.”

Tomorrow’s electrical repair event will take place at Wastebusters between 10am-2pm. 

There will be a subsidised charge for repairs depending on the work required, which will be discussed prior to commencing any repairs. Some repairs may not be able to be completed but all items brought in will be assessed.

PHOTO: Supplied