The WD-40 Company has launched the Repair Challenge, a global initiative that aims to highlight the importance of repairing and reusing items, keeping them in circulation for longer and away from landfill.

Now in its third year, the challenge encourages participants to give new life to belongings and support a more sustainable future while honing and developing valuable skills.

“Repairing items instead of replacing them is a simple yet impactful way to save money and reduce waste,” says Louisa Alexander, Marketing Manager at WD-40 Company, Australia.

“In a world of constant consumption and disposal, there is a rising need to pay attention to the choices we make and adopting a ‘reuse and repair’ mentality is a move toward a more sustainable future.”

According to the most recent Circularity Gap Report, the global population has consumed nearly as many materials in the past six years as it did throughout the entire 20th century – over 500 billion tonnes in total.

Alongside this consumption, annual global waste is growing exponentially with more than two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste generated every year, a figure forecast to increase to almost four billion in 2050 according to the latest report by the World Bank.

“In the past the motivation to repair was mostly economic. Today more people are choosing to extend the life of their belongings for innovative and sustainable reasons,” Ms Alexander said.

WD-40 Company is asking participants to share restoration or DIY journeys of bringing new life to old items and sharing photos or videos of repair projects for a chance to win a $5000 Visa Gift Card and further prizes up for grabs.

For those who aren’t confident in their repair skills, Australia’s Repair Cafes offer a community space where you will find the tools, materials and expert guidance that you need to repair anything, from furniture to electrical appliances. Any repairs undertaken at a Repair Café can count as a competition entry.

The WD-40 Repair Challenge run until 31 July. For more information, visit Repair Challenge.