YouTube
Coming soon · @lepetitatelier is not live yet
The first episodes are being filmed as the workshop is built.
About the channelFour forms, one person reading them
Bring something. Suggest something. Join in.
Le Petit Atelier isn't open to the public yet, but you can already help shape it. Tell us what you'd bring, what you'd like us to build, or what you're good at. We read everything and reply.
Intake · not open yet
Got something broken, or something to give?
We'll take broken electronics, clean bottles and caps, print waste, plain cardboard and timber offcuts — once intake opens. Until our battery and e-waste routes are confirmed with licensed recyclers, we can't take electronics in. Tell us what you have and we'll reply with when and how.
Intake ticket · tell us what you have LPA-IN
Everything is needed unless it says optional.
We use your details only to reply to you (or to send the list, if you ask for it), and delete them when you ask. Privacy notice
What we'll take
- Small broken appliances and electronics Toasters, lamps, radios, routers, keyboards, toys with motors. Batteries out first.
- Printers and 3D printers Inkjet, laser and dead 3D printers are full of motors, rails and screws.
- Computers and laptops Remove or wipe your data first. Anything left is physically destroyed, never looked at.
- Cables, chargers and power supplies Untested supplies are treated as a safety item, never used as found.
- E-bikes and scooters, without their batteries Hub motors, controllers and brakes are welcome. The battery stays with you.
- Clean PET drink bottles Rinsed, caps off, labels on is fine. Clear bottles are best.
- Bottle caps and HDPE / PP containers Milk bottles, caps, tubs (codes 2 and 5). Rinsed. Sorted by type if you can.
- Failed 3D prints, supports and purge PLA and PETG (the two everyday printing plastics), kept separate and labelled.
- Plain brown cardboard Not glossy, waxed or plastic-lined.
- Plywood and timber offcuts Untreated, at least 150 mm. Pallets only if stamped HT (heat-treated).
What we refuse, and why
- Lithium batteries of any size, or devices whose battery can’t come out without force A damaged cell can catch fire on its own. Our building is 1868 timber.
- CRT televisions and monitors Lead glass and high voltage.
- Fluorescent tubes, CFLs and mercury lamps They contain mercury.
- Fridges, freezers, heat pumps, dehumidifiers, air-conditioners Refrigerant gases harm the ozone layer and need specialist handling.
- Microwave ovens A high-voltage capacitor and a magnetron. Dangerous to open.
- Smoke detectors Some contain a small radioactive source.
- Gas canisters, aerosol cans, fire extinguishers Pressurised: they can burst.
- Anything damp, corroded, leaking or mouldy Unsafe to handle and to open.
- Old heaters, irons or hair dryers that may contain asbestos Asbestos fibres are a serious health risk.
- PVC (resin code 3) and plastics nobody can identify PVC gives off hydrogen chloride when heated. We never heat what we can’t identify.
- Containers with oil, solvent, paint or pesticide residue Chemical hazard.
- Treated timber and pallets stamped MB Treated with chemicals; we never cut them indoors or burn them.
Refused items need a licensed recycler. Christchurch City Council's EcoDrop centres take household e-waste and batteries.
Request a project
What do you still do by hand?
Anyone can suggest something we could build or fix: a tool for your trap line, a part for your club, a sensor for your classroom, a gadget for someone who needs one.
Every idea is scored on four things
- Impact
- The difference it would make here.
- Beginner
- Could a beginner make a version?
- Video
- Does it make a good episode?
- Salvage
- Can it be built from salvage?
Then we reply. Good ideas go on the public backlog, credited to you if you like.
Project request · the notebook LPA-RQ
Everything is needed unless it says optional.
We use your details only to reply to you (or to send the list, if you ask for it), and delete them when you ask. Privacy notice
Volunteers, schools, trappers, partners
Offer help, or just say bonjour.
We especially need people who:
- sew
- know small engines or clocks
- are retired from a trade
- are teenagers wanting volunteer hours
- Teachers
- Tell us what your class is studying and we'll suggest a session for 2027.
- Trappers and conservation groups
- Tell us what takes your time.
Groups and public bodies we hope to work with include Akaroa Area School, the Banks Peninsula Community Board and Christchurch City Council's waste minimisation team — none of them are partners yet, and we'll only say so when they are.
Prefer email? [email protected]
Message · read by Sebastien LPA-HI
Everything is needed unless it says optional.
We use your details only to reply to you (or to send the list, if you ask for it), and delete them when you ask. Privacy notice
Elsewhere
The channel and the plans.
Where
63 Rue Lavaud, Akaroa.
On the main street, across from the organic refill shop. Not open to the public yet — please don't drop things at the door. We'll announce opening hours on the list and in the window.
Questions · 12
Questions people ask.
Is Le Petit Atelier open yet?
Not to the public yet. We’re fitting out the cottage at 63 Rue Lavaud and building the first machines. Join the mailing list and you’ll hear first when the doors open and when the first repair café is on.
Can I drop things off now?
Not yet, please. Tell us what you have with the intake form and we’ll reply when we can take it. We won’t take any electronics until our battery and e-waste routes are confirmed — that’s a safety rule, not red tape.
Why do batteries have to come out at the door?
The workshop is a timber building from about 1868, shared with other businesses. A damaged lithium battery can catch fire on its own. So batteries are taken out in the doorway, go into a sand-filled steel tin outside, and leave the site the same day. They are never stored, charged or opened inside. If a battery can’t come out without force, we can’t take the item.
Does it cost anything?
The repair café is free; donations are welcome, never asked for. The plans are free. Later there may be paid workshops for visitors and simple kits for people who’d rather not hunt for parts — the knowledge itself is never for sale.
Do you fix things for me?
At the repair café, we fix them with you. You stay with your item and help. It isn’t a drop-off repair service, and repairs aren’t guaranteed.
What does “open licence” actually mean?
You can download the plans, build the thing, change it and share your version, for free. Most of our designs are “share-alike”: if you publish an improved version, it stays open too. See the licences on the plans page.
Where are the plans?
Being prepared for publication. The handbook behind this site is private for now while we tidy it; the download links will appear on the plans page when it goes public. Join the list to hear when.
Is recycled plastic really better for the planet?
Sometimes, not always. Recycling locally uses power and time, and recycled filament is usually weaker than new. The honest claim is smaller: waste that would leave the Peninsula becomes useful material here, and everyone can see what recycling really involves. We measure the energy per kilo and publish it.
Can my child take part?
Yes, with you. Children are welcome at the repair café, accompanied and supervised, and never operate tools. Every project has a beginner level with no heat and no sharp machines. School sessions are planned for 2027.
I’m a trapper or I work in conservation. What’s in it for us?
Tell us what you still do by hand. If a cheap, tough box could do it for you, we’ll design it with you, test it in the field, and publish it free. If you tell us our idea is wrong, we’ll build what you actually need.
I want to suggest a project. What happens next?
Use the “request a project” form. We read every one, reply, and score ideas on four things: impact, how easy it is for a beginner, whether it makes a good video, and whether it can be built from salvage. Good ones go on the backlog, with your first name if you like.
Who runs it?
Sebastien Mathieu, the founder, maker and host, through his company Petitgen Ltd. It runs one to two days a week, on purpose: small and careful rather than big and rushed.
Les plans sont gratuits — the plans are free.