By Alesha Capone
The popular Wyndham Repair Café in Werribee is looking for a new premises.
The café, which is based at the Envision headquarters on Loop Road, provides the public with a free service to get broken or non-working objects repaired.
Café supervisor Joe Ferlazzo said the café would have to close up by July 8, because Envision, a not-for-profit organisation which supports jobseekers, was closing its operations in Werribee.
“They (Envision) were kind enough to pay me a salary and let us be based here,” Mr Ferlazzo said.
He said that while the repair café would have to temporarily shut down, he was now looking for another Wyndham location to set up in.
Mr Ferlazzo said he was also working with Wyndham council to find a new location.
“It’s getting there, council have been really good to date and have been very supportive,” he said.
Mr Ferlazzo said that while the pandemic made things more difficult than usual, he hoped to re-open the repair café in around two months.
He said the present café, in Loop Road, provided an alternative recycling program for residents whose items could not be repaired.
Mr Ferlazzo said that while many community recycling programs provided three or four bins, the Wyndham Repair Café provided around 15 bins, which accepted items including bras, X-rays, solar lights, cork, watches, glasses, bread-tags and mobile phones.
Mr Ferlazzo said he hoped to incorporate the recycling program in the repair café’s next location.
He said he also hoped the café could work with volunteers, children and people with a disability, to teach them about STEM and arts.
Details: facebook.com/wyndhamrepaircafe/
