Reuse and Repair

Come along and be inspired by new ways to reuse, repair, recycle, up-cycle, and re-purpose your household goods, clothes, beloved and everyday items at our Reuse and Repair Fairs.   

We are excited to be working with Artillery CIC and many other local partners on another series of Reuse and Repair Fairs for 2025. Five fairs will take place across the borough over the next 12 months, packed with a series of live demos and workshops themed around the repair, reuse and the repurpose of everyday household items, from clothes and furniture, to electricals and bikes. Some activities you will find include:    

• free repair services: learn how to repair clothing, household electronics, toys, furniture, and more
• interactive workshops: participate in sessions that provide practical repair skills and creative upcycling ideas

• local sustainability champions: meet experts and community organisations dedicated to reducing waste, lowering carbon emissions, and saving money. 

  Our full programme of Reuse and Repair Fairs:   

• Saturday 10 May 2025 (1pm to 5pm): Langthorne Park, E11 4JZ
• Sunday 6 July 2025 (12noon to 4pm): Lea Bridge Library, E10 7HU
• Saturday 20 September 2025 (1pm to 5pm): George Tomlinson Primary School, E11 4QN
• Saturday 15 November 2025 (12noon to 4pm): Big Creative Academy, E17 6HL
• Saturday 14 March 2026 (1pm to 5pm): Handsworth Primary School, E4 9PJ     

Visit Artillery Arts full details of the Reuse and Repair Fairs. 
 
The Reuse and Repair Fairs are commissioned by Waltham Forest Council, produced by Artillery CIC with project partners: Forest Recycling Project, Forest Fixers, and Leytonstone Toy Library, in collaboration with local businesses and community initiatives.

Repair voucher scheme

We are making it easier and cheaper to repair your electrical items! 

We have partnered with the Repair voucher scheme to get Waltham Forest residents 50% off electrical repairs at participating repair shops, an initiative by the Restart project, ReLondon and fix1.today, funded by the North London waste authority.

From toasters to TVs and laptops to lamps, get your household electrical items fixed for half the price (up to a maximum of a £50 saving per item).  

The voucher scheme is open from April to September 2025. 

Apply now at London recycles | Repair week 

Waltham Forest Reuse and repair directory 

Would you like to do more to shop ethically and perhaps more cost effectively?  Buying reused, reclaimed, second hand, preloved things or borrowing them is an excellent way to reduce your household's environmental impact and very often to save quite a bit of money too.  Repairing things we already own, whenever we can, is also really good for the environment and the pocket.   

Waltham Forest Council and Forest Recycling Project want to help you to do more. We have created the Repair and Reuse Directory so you can find local repair experts and pre-loved items.   

To find an event happening near you, visit our events page or other local resources including social media, Eventbrite, local newspapers or the Waltham Forest News.   

For those wanting to find their own solutions, YouTube and Wikihow are great resources. You can search for general repair skills lessons or look for ways to resolve a specific repair problem.   

Dr Bike will help you with repairing your bicycle.  They regularly hold free events in the borough.  Find out more on our Cycle Training, Safety and Maintenance page.   

Library of Things  

Library of Things, based in Leytonstone is a place where you can borrow useful things for your home, projects and adventures.  You can save money and reduce waste by affordably renting out useful things like drills, sound systems and sewing machines, garden tools and much more. 
 
Visit Library of Things or more information and to sign up.   

Additional community initiatives

There are loads more ways to get involved this London repair week:

• Forest fixers host regular Repair cafes (where you can bring small gadgets to be repaired) and Repair clubs (were you can learn how to fix things yourself). Sign up to their private Facebook group to find out more

Join us in celebrating repair, reuse, and sustainability, and help make Waltham Forest a leader in community-driven environmental action this London repair week.