ecoCaledon celebrates biggest Repair Cafe yet during Earth Month

April 23, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

This past Saturday, neighbours, community members, and tinkerers alike all gathered in the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness for ecoCaledon’s biggest Repair Cafe to date.

ecoCaledon began hosting repair cafes not only to give household items a second chance, but also to support a circular economy in Caledon.

Attendees can bring in an item for fixing, such as a ripped pillow or a broken toaster, and the team of “fixers” can help bring it back to life, extending its life while keeping it from polluting landfills.

Fixers could be seen sitting at their stations, armed with a sewing machine, glue, or a screwdriver.

This is at no cost, and while an item is being fixed, attendees can browse not only the food and drink offered, but also the numerous other organizations in attendance.

From the many community groups and organizations that attended the April 18 Repair Cafe, it shows the community event the cafe has become.

Organizations such as Caledon OPP, Bike the Creek, Albion Hills Community Farm, Albion Bolton Historical Society, Caledon Community Road Safety Association, Forks of the Credit Preservation group, and more attended the event, providing information to residents.

The Caledon Public Library was also in attendance, showcasing their 3D printer and various programs.

With the event beginning at 10 a.m., Lucrezia Chiappetta, co-chair of ecoCaledon, said people were already lined up, with items ready to be fixed.

Chiappetta said seeing this many people come out to their tenth repair cafe was surreal.

“When we first started, there were maybe a few people who knew what a repair cafe was and actually came out. But, to see how much it’s grown from then until now, it’s amazing. It warms my heart to know that there’s so many people out there who are willing to fix their items rather than just throwing them into the trash,” she said.

Fixers tackled more than 100 times that day, with a 61 per cent repair rate based on tracking that occurred at three of the different stations, says Chiappetta.

Items that couldn’t be repaired were taken by local organization, the Little Grey Workhorse, in order to be properly recycled.

In addition, the Little Grey Workhorse collected metal cans and glass bottles, and all proceeds will go back into the community.

Three bags of food were also collected for The Exchange.

What makes Caledon’s Repair Cafes unique, Chiappetta said, is that it’s about building community, and there’s something for everyone.

“You don’t have to just have something that needs to be fixed. You can come out and talk to so many different community groups and support the Friends of the Caledon Public Library and our local farms. It’s a very inclusive community event with so much happening and just so much for everybody to do.”

In attendance that day, she said, were over 22 community groups and vendors.

“Definitely our biggest and it’ll only grow from here,” said Chiappetta.

Also running that day was a community cleanup.

Caledon Councillors, ecoCaledon members, and various volunteers and community members could be seen grabbing their garbage bags and heading out to collect trash around the area.

“With this being Earth Month and Earth Day coming up this week, it’s a celebration for Earth Month as well,” said Chiappetta outside the cleanup. “It’s not just about reducing items that go to the landfill; this clean-up is just one little part of that.”

“The snow has finally melted, and you see a lot of the garbage and litter that’s blown out of people’s bins or maybe been tossed,” she explained. “It’s just a great time in spring to clean up and just re-beautify our community.”

By the end of the cleanup, Chiappetta said they collected 70 pounds of garbage and 15 pounds of recycling.

For those who missed the Cleanup and are looking to “re-beautify” the community, they can look out for a few other upcoming community cleanups.

On Saturday, April 25, join Councillors Christina Early and Doug Maskell in Caledon East with a Caledon East Community pick up happening from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Caledon East Park.

Also on Saturday will be “Dan the Litter Man’s” community cleanup in Bolton, happening at the Albion Bolton Fairgrounds at 9 a.m.

Finally, in Southfields, Humanity Sewa is holding a cleanup in Bonniglen Farm Park on April 26 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.