SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is once again backing a new community based Repair Café support fund in North Wales.
Enfinium, the operator of the Parc Adfer energy recovery facility in Deeside, which runs the waste into power plant in Deeside handling black bin waste from Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire has launched the third year of its Repair Café Support Fund, offering £20,000 in new grant funding for community repair projects across North Wales.
Mr Rowlands, a keen supporter of encouraging recycling said: “I have been fortunate enough to visit the North Wales site at Parc Adfer and sponsor an event in the Senedd to highlight the work which is being done to reduce waste across Wales and I am delighted to support the Repair Café initiative.
“These days it is all too easy to replace rather than repair items and I am really pleased to see enfinium offering funds to encourage Repair Cafés near their site in Flintshire.
“It is really important that we continue to reduce recycling waste and Repair Cafés offer everyone the opportunity to do their bit to help this cause.”
Since launching the initiative in March 2024, enfinium has allocated over £35,000 to 22 separate community-led Repair Cafés, helping to expand and improve their operations, as well as supporting the launch of new Repair Cafés. With this funding, Repair Cafés have diverted waste from landfill, helped advance the circular economy, and enabled people to keep hold of cherished items for longer whilst saving money on repairs and replacements.
Mike Maudsley, CEO at enfinium, said: “By empowering communities to repair rather than replace, Repair Cafés play an important role in reducing waste and advancing the circular economy from the bottom up, as well as forming an integral part of the local communities where we operate.
“As an operator committed to managing unrecyclable waste in the most circular way possible, we at enfinium are proud to continue to support these impactful local initiatives keep waste out of landfill for another year.”
With £20,000 available this year, applications for funding can be made from Repair Cafes operating within a 30 mile radius of one of enfinium’s facilities.
A Repair Café is a community-based not-for-profit, often with charitable status, offering free repairs of common household items such as toasters, hoovers and bicycles. Every item repaired saves a family from the undue expense of buying a replacement. Research has shown that extending a product’s lifespan can lead to significant emissions savings. For example, maintaining a single television for an additional seven years results in a carbon emission saving of 657kg.
Repair Cafés within Flintshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Anglesey can apply for the 2026 funding round. Applications are open until May 31, 2026.
To learn more the Repair Café Support Fund, or apply for funding, please visit the Repair Café webpage on enfinium’s website or email [email protected].
