A brand-new community “fixing factory” opened in Camden on Thursday as part of a bid to cut down on “e-waste” and help locals save money during the cost of living crisis.

The hub will allow people to take in their broken household appliances to be repaired rather than throwing them away and will teach repair skills to promote sustainable practices.

It is the second pilot scheme of its kind to launch in London following the opening of the first Fixing Factory in Brent earlier in the year.

A collaboration between climate change charity Possible and right to repair charity The Restart Project, the Fixing Factory is funded by the National Lottery and the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations.

Dermot Jones, Fixing Factory Camden project manager for Possible, said: “We’re thrilled to have launched the Fixing Factory on Queen’s Crescent. The level of community interest we’ve seen already has been huge. E-waste is a significant problem in addressing climate change and our culture of overconsumption.

“With this project, not only can we start reducing e-waste on a local level, we can start building a culture of making your stuff last longer, where people see the opportunities of keeping appliances going rather than trading them in for a newer model.”

Based in a formerly vacant high-street store, the Fixing Factory was offered a reduced rent by Camden Council.

Green Party London assembly member Sian Berry, who attended Thursday’s grand opening, said: “I really want this model to be widespread across London. It’s just amazing, but it’s a pilot project and it’s in two boroughs so far.

“Every borough needs to take one of its empty spaces and turn it into a Fixing Factory. Not only is it about building a more sustainable and a circular economy that we really need so we can save resources that will save the planet, it’s also about helping people to save money and not throw away things they’ve spent good money on in the middle of the cost of living crisis.”

According to a London Assembly report published by the assembly member earlier this year, there are roughly 800 publicly owned buildings across London that are currently lying empty, with an average of 24 empty units per borough.

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