Hundreds of people have borrowed tools and equipment from the Community Toolbox Canberra, and now it’s hitting the road. Photo: Community Toolbox Canberra/Facebook.
When was the last time you needed a thermal camera, a lawnmower or a carpet cleaner?
They’re the most borrowed items from Community Toolbox Canberra, an organisation that launched in late 2021 and lets its members borrow tools and equipment of all kinds.
The items are donated or purchased by the group and stored in their Watson location, where members can access them.
Kathy Ehmann, who joined as one of the founding convenors after she left the family farm and moved to Canberra, says the group helps people find the tools needed for their projects.
“We want to make better choices easier for people,” she says.
“At the moment, it’s really easy to buy a $30 drill that you know is only going to be good for 15 minutes, then it’s ready for landfill.
“It’s most important to me that instead of going out and buying something that they’ll only use once, people change that behaviour so they’ll borrow something.”
The service has been such a success, it’s looking to expand – and go mobile.
A mobile service – to be known as the Tool Bus – would travel on a route around Canberra, meaning people could pick up their reservations at locations closer to home.
She says the mobile service had been on the cards for quite a while, but some key points needed to be organised first – such as where they’d stop.
The organisation is currently chatting with members – past, current and new – about the stops they want to see on Tool Bus’s route.
“Once we’ve got all that information … we’re going to map out exactly where we’re going to stop on what days, so we can be of the most use.”
While that process is ongoing, the organisation is keen to expand out of its base in north Canberra.
“We’re already getting really strong feedback that we need to go out to Woden and Tuggeranong, so we’re looking at that,” Kathy said.
“Something that I didn’t expect is that there’s a really big call for a stop in the middle of the city, at the ANU … [people also want a stop near] the Gungahlin shopping centre.”
Kathy says the Tool Bus will use the SEEChange van, or a hired van if necessary.
“We’ll use the same online platform people use to reserve their things, but it’ll be noted in their reservation what people will pick up [from the van],” she says.
“We’ll know what to pack and we’ll be at the designated spot at the designated time.”
Kathy said their members scattered across Canberra and Queanbeyan have been supporters of the Tool Bus concept, which would bring the service closer to them.
“Most of the people who are further afield have said the distance [travelling into their Watson location] has been a sticking point.”
Community Toolbox Canberra is coming up on its fourth birthday since it opened its doors in late 2021.
Kathy says that since their launch, she and the team have found a steady increase in not only members (there are currently around 400), but in the items in their collection.
“Our range is expanding all the time. If people have felt there’s nothing useful for them … [they should] maybe have another look.”
“It’s a very different collection now.”
The Community Toolbox Canberra has a permanent location at 76 Federal Highway in Watson (entry is through the driveway on Zelling Street). It is open 5 pm to 7:30 pm (on Thursday) and 10 am to 1 pm (on Saturdays).
More information on the Tool Bus can be found on their website.
