Highlights
- Repair Cafes in Ballarat, Victoria aim of reducing waste that goes to landfill.
- Labelling scheme would allow shoppers to make better-informed choices.
- The Productivity Commission report recommends the Copyright Act is amended to include an exception that allows for the reproduction and sharing of repair information under certain circumstances.
In their retirement, Karen and Danny Ellis are putting their mending skills to use.
They travel to organised community repair events around Victoria to lend a hand with fixing things.Mr Ellis repairs kettles, D-V-D players, toys, toasters, clocks and lamps, among other things.
But he says increasing product complexity is making it hard to get into some items, and purchasing a single replacement part can be troublesome.
A Productivity Commission report released this December found there are "significant and unnecessary barriers" to fixing some products in Australia.
It states that action by consumers and manufacturers could not only make repairs easier and less costly, but also reduce harm to the environment.
"Good product design, the reuse of materials that would otherwise end up in landfill, and greater awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities can all play a part in reducing harm to the environment caused by the needless disposal of products that are no longer desired."
