Did you know that there are over 140,000 tonnes of e-waste generated by Australians every year? 

Many of us would prefer to fix our products and devices instead of sending them to landfill, but it’s not always that easy. Some manufacturers: 

  • restrict access to repair information 
  • utilise end use licence agreements to control who can service and repair the products we buy and own  
  • claim that fixing products ourselves breaches their intellectual property rights and risks our privacy. 

From smartphones to whitegoods, and even vehicles and machinery—this inability to repair or access repair information has become a global problem. 

The Right to Repair movement empowers consumers with the rights, knowledge and resources we need to repair our own products or choose our own repair agency—instead of being forced to use the manufacturer’s authorised agent.  

You can discover more about the Right to Repair movement by reading Why we really need to be able to fix our stuff or visiting the Open Repair Alliance website.  

In 2021, the Library also interviewed Professor Leanne Wiseman about Intellectual property, access to information and the Right to Repair. 

What exactly is a Repair Café? 

Repair Cafés are places to bring your broken items, where you sit with skilled volunteers as they repair your items. Repair Cafés strive to preserve repair skills in society and promote more repairable products. It can make things last, save people money and help the environment by reducing consumption, manufacture and use of raw materials.  

Check out this short video to learn more: 

How do I get involved?  

We’re looking for student volunteers to help us establish a Griffith University Repair Café! 

We’re also calling out to all volunteer repairers/fixers/restorers/menders who can help bring our university community together to help reduce our waste. 

You can express your interest in volunteering by completing the Griffith Repair Cafe Volunteer Form. More information will also be available at Nathan campus, Thursday 29 September, for Griffith’s Enviro Week.