Students, staff, and community members gathered at Humber Polytechnic's North campus on Tuesday for a hands-on Repair Cafe focused on fixing broken items instead of throwing them away.
The event was organized by Humber’s Office of Sustainability in partnership with campus groups and Repair Cafe Toronto.
Invited participants to bring in items such as electronics, small appliances, clothing, jewelry, and bicycles for free repairs by skilled volunteers.
“This is actually the second year we are hosting a Repair Cafe on campus,” said Gabi Hentschke, sustainability communications and engagement coordinator. “It’s such a neat idea utilizing people’s skills to fix items and give them a new life.”
Hentschke said the initiative was inspired by library and IDEA Lab staff who had previously participated in similar events and wanted to bring the concept to Humber.
“We have so many highly skilled people at Humber,” she said. “We have staff, professors, and students all collaborating and helping to fix items for free. It’s about sustainability, but also about community building.”
Participants brought a wide variety of items, including lamps, microwaves, computers, bags, and clothing. The range of repairs depends largely on the expertise of volunteers and the tools available.
Volunteer Brigitte Lialias, a retired Toronto District School Board worker, said the event is an opportunity to share lifelong skills while encouraging younger generations to rethink consumption habits.
“I’ve always been a sewer, my father was a tailor,” she said. “I think young people should know that they can repair things, as opposed to just throwing them out and getting new things.”
Lialias said that common repairs include broken zippers, torn seams, and loose pockets, issues that are often simple to fix but frequently lead to items being discarded.
“It’s to be sustainable,” she said. “We just don’t want to keep filling up the landfills. If something can be fixed, I think it’s a good thing.”
Ken Vickerson, a retired professor from OCAD University, also volunteered at the event, specializing in jewelry repairs. He has been attending repair cafes for nearly a decade.
“This is one of many events that I attend, I go to three to five of these a month,” he said.
Vickerson said that watches are among the most common items he repairs, particularly battery replacements. He added that many younger people are unfamiliar with repair culture.
“They’re used to if something breaks, they throw it away and buy a new one,” he said. “We want to show the younger generation that you don’t have to throw it away, you can fix the old one.”
Vickerson said repair success rates at these events can reach 75-80 per cent, underscoring the potential impact of community-based repair initiatives.
Beyond fixing items, the Repair Cafe also serves as a learning space. Some students attend not only to repair their belongings but also to observe experienced volunteers and gain hands-on skills.
Hentschke said the event has already seen strong engagement early in the day, with turnout appearing higher than last year.
“People understand what a Repair Cafe is now,” she said. “There’s more awareness, and we’re seeing more people come in with items to fix.”
The event is currently held annually, with organizers aiming to build on its success through partnerships with campus groups and external organizations.
At its core, the Repair Cafe promotes a simple but impactful message: repairing items instead of discarding them can reduce waste, save money, and strengthen community connections.
As interest grows, events like this show a shift toward more sustainable habits, one repair at a time.
