Buxton eco-group sign new declaration and want others to pledge as well

A new national pledge to make repair works more accessible and affordable has been given the support of Transition Buxton which also runs the monthly repair cafes in town.

Now they are calling on more people to join them and take the new declaration to the policy makers in government.

Jean Ball from Transition Buxton said: “We are proud to mark Repair Day 2023 by signing the new Repair and Reuse Declaration.

“We have also asked Robert Largan MP to sign it and to support legislation that enables repair.

“For most people, it has become too hard to repair our things. We’re throwing away too much, and spending too much on new, throwaway products.”

The UK Repair Declaration calls for measures to make repairs easier for everyone by: making repairs more affordable; expanding our Right to Repair regulations; helping the public choose more repairable products; supporting repair training and apprenticeships; and prioritising reuse when waste is processed.

A spokesperson for the Restart Project says: “Everyone should have easy access to low cost repair and that’s why we’re launching a new Repair and Reuse Declaration.

“Most people don’t like throwing away usable things, especially when struggling with the cost of living crisis, but it’s too hard to give products a second life through repair and reuse.

“Government policies can stem the tide of throwaway products through making repair easier, cheaper and more accessible, and making reuse a priority over recycling.”

To turn the tide on people throwing away things which can be repaired with the right knowledge, Transition Buxton hosts a monthly repair cafe and the session on October 29 was the busiest yet.

Jean said: “It was our busiest Repair Cafe yet, over 50 items including a globe, a mechanical tin chicken, three clocks, two hoovers, several toasters, radios, CD players, two chairs, a small table, four ceramic items, and a selection of garments. We are delighted that the people of Buxton have caught the repair bug.”

Anyone who thinks more needs to do done to make repairs easier and more accessible can sign the declaration at repairreusedeclaration.uk/sign