Why Supporting The Restart Project Matters
At Eco Communities, we’ve recently signed up to support the work of The Restart Project, a movement working to bring repair and reuse back to the heart of our economy. But this isn’t just something organisations can support. Individuals can also show their backing by asking their MP to sign up and support stronger policies that make repair and reuse the norm rather than the exception.
At the moment, no MPs representing Cheshire West, Cheshire East, or Warrington have signed up. That needs to change.
The UK’s growing e-waste problem
The UK is currently the second highest producer of electronic waste per person in the world. Yet despite the scale of the problem, we are falling behind other countries when it comes to supporting repair, reuse and longer product lifetimes.
Too many products are designed to be thrown away rather than fixed. Devices that could be repaired cheaply end up in landfill or recycling, wasting valuable materials and energy.
Repair and reuse are central to building a truly circular, less wasteful economy. They help to:
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Tackle climate change by reducing resource extraction and manufacturing emissions
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Cut living costs for households by extending product lifetimes
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Create green, skilled jobs in repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing
A growing movement for repair
Across the UK, a diverse and passionate movement is already working to change this.
It includes volunteers running community repair events, organisations working to make repaired and reused products accessible for everyone, and businesses repairing, refurbishing and selling preloved items.
Together, they are responding to growing public demand for repair services and skills.
They are also championing a vision of a stronger UK fixing economy — one where products are designed to last and where repair is the first option when something breaks.
The future we need
Imagine a future where:
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Products are designed to be durable and easily repairable
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Manufacturers actively support their products for as long as possible
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Repair is the easiest and most affordable option when something breaks
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Reuse gives products a second life
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Recycling is used only at the very end of a product’s useful life
Community repair events across the country are already helping to make this vision real. They fix broken items, build practical skills and strengthen community connections.
But much more support is needed if repair and reuse are to thrive at a national scale.
What needs to change
Supporters of The Restart Project are calling on UK legislators and decision-makers to take practical steps that will make repair and reuse accessible to everyone.
These include:
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Making repair more affordable, through tax reductions and repair vouchers
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Expanding the UK’s Right to Repair regulations to cover all consumer products and remove barriers to fixing devices
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Introducing a repair index, helping consumers choose more durable and repairable products
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Prioritising reuse and repair over recycling, including targets and investment through extended producer responsibility rules
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Supporting a new generation of repairers, with training, accreditation and apprenticeships
How you can help
Repair is already proving popular with communities. What’s needed now is stronger national support. We already have three groups providing Repair cafes in Chester, Helsby and Tattenhall.
If you believe in a future where products last longer, waste is reduced and repair skills flourish, you can help by contacting your MP and asking them to support the work of The Restart Project.
Together we can help build a future where fixing things is normal again — and where nothing that can be repaired is thrown away.
Email your MP – click here
