Keep your broken items out of the landfill and get them fixed for free!

Give your items a longer life. It’s Circular Economy Month and we’ve partnered with two community organizations to host free repair events so you can give your items a longer life. Bring your broken items to be fixed by volunteers and keep them out of the landfill, all while learning new skills.

Repair Café – Saturday, October 18 Richelieu Vanier Community Centre 300 des Pères-Blancs Avenue 10 am to 2 pm

Ottawa Tool Library’s fixers and menders will be sharing their knowledge and skills around fixing everything from darning socks to re-wiring kettles. There will be free repairs of electronics, bikes, clothing, small appliances, jewelry and more. Please only bring one item to be fixed, as time and space are limited.

Repair Fair – Saturday, October 25 Heartwood House 404 McArthur Avenue 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Bring in any clothing items that need to be repaired so you can extend the life of your garments while saving money and landfill space. There will also be sewing machine repairs, scissor sharpening and the chance to shop Eco-Equitable’s monthly fabric sale.  

Learn more about the upcoming repair events. 

Geri Porteous Photography What is a circular economy?

A circular economy is a system that retains and recovers as much value as possible from resources and finds innovative ways to better the environment and the economy. It is a different way of looking at how we make and use things. Instead of the traditional model of “take, make, dispose”, a circular economy focuses on reusing resources and creating products that last longer and can be fixed.

Benefits include:

• Less waste and pollution
• Lower carbon emissions
• Conservation of natural resources
• Support for biodiversity
• Stronger economy by using resources wisely

 

How the City is supporting a circular economy

Reducing waste and reusing more was identified as a priority by residents during the development of the Solid Waste Master Plan. We are laying the groundwork by developing plans that will shape how we prevent waste, keep materials in use and transition toward a zero-waste future.

Circular Economy Roadmap and Implementation Plan This 10-year plan will shift from a "take-make-dispose" model to one focused on rethinking material use through reuse, repair and regeneration across all sectors of the city.

Community Waste Reduction and Reuse Action Plan This plan will identify what's needed to support local sharing, reuse, and repair, based on research and a public survey on Engage Ottawa that highlighted successes, gaps, potential initiatives, and partnership opportunities.