Repair Cafe

… where you can bring along your things that need fixing or mending.
Our volunteer fixers and menders are at the Port Phillip EcoCentre on the 2nd Sunday of each month (except January) from 2-5pm (no new items started after 4:30pm).

Preview before you bring it in

You can email the repair cafe (stkilda.repaircafe@gmail.com) with an explanation of the fault including pictures where appropriate, and we’ll give you an idea of whether it’s worth bringing in the item to one of our repair cafe sessions.

Click here for repair queries

Want to get involved?

If you’re interested in helping keep the St Kilda Repair Cafe up and running, or if you have any other questions about it, please contact John Hillel:

Please note:  All our fixers are VOLUNTEERS, and there is no charge made for the fixes they do. However any donations people would like to make are welcomed to help us cover our costs (website, glues & other materials used from time to time.)

Computers, laptops and phones wanted

Bring your unwanted phones,  laptops and computers to the St. Kilda Repair Cafe and our IT experts will wipe all the data to ensure your personal information is safe and then we will donate them to Refugees and Asylum Seekers via Deakin University’s Centre for Refugee Employment, Advocacy, Training and Education (CREATE) program.

NOTE: 

  • Ensure it’s working – we don’t repair phones or computers
  • Please bring power cables/chargers
  • If it’s an iPhone we’ll need your password to reset to factory settings.

For further details contact: stkilda.repaircafe@gmail.com 

Progress to date - as at April 2024

Since November 2017:

  • 1027 items fixed (53% of those brought in)
  • 279 items "almost fixed" (eg need parts)
  • 2675 kg estimated to have been saved from landfill (which doesn't tell the whole story as this includes a LOT of clothes that don't actually weigh very much!)
 

On average, our fixers and menders have fixed or ‘almost fixed’ two out of every three items brought in and saved over 2 tonnes of items from landfill!

Watch for our Repair Cafe dates in 2024

Second Sunday of every month except January:  

  • Sunday 12 May
  • Sunday 9 June
  • Sunday 14 July
  • Sunday 11 August
  • Sunday 8 September
  • Sunday 13 October
  • Sunday 10 November
  • Sunday 8 December

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Follow this link for information about where you can take items for reuse/repurposing/recycling.