The Solid Waste Advisory Committee is organizing a Repair Café for the end of October, but they need volunteers to make it happen.

A Repair Café allows people to bring broken household items and have them repaired by volunteers.The event aims to foster a culture of sustainability in Swampscott and reduce waste, according to Committee Member Alix Smullin.

Repair Cafés began in 2009, when a Dutch journalist introduced the idea in Amsterdam to promote sustainability at the local level. In 2010, a foundation was established to help local groups around the world create their own Repair Cafés. Since then, the idea has spread, with more than 2,000 Repair Cafés held worldwide as of a 2021 estimate by the foundation.

“We are at the phase now of recruiting volunteers,” Smullin said. 

The Solid Waste Advisory Committee is seeking local residents to share their talents as “repair experts” for the upcoming event on October 25, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Senior Center.

They’re especially looking for people skilled in sewing and mending clothes, repairing small jewelry items, diagnosing and/or fixing small appliances, mending broken ceramics, or offering other helpful repair skills.

To volunteer, residents can fill out a form at https://forms.gle/B213h4Ls5GHyh7iS9

For more information or to volunteer, contact the committee at swac@swampscottma.gov or reach out to Alix Smullin at alix.smullin@gmail.com.