Just because something is broken doesn’t mean it needs to be thrown away. With that in mind, events are being held worldwide where items are brought back to life by volunteer fixers.
Repairing a worn-out or broken item not only keeps it out of the landfill, it's rewarding for the fixer and can help the owner hold on to memories, or at least save the replacement cost of whatever it is that gets fixed.
The Repair Café concept was born in 2009 when the first one was held in the Netherlands, a movement that has grown to the point that there are now over 2,500 Repair Cafés in operation worldwide.
In Okotoks, Repair Cafés first appeared in 2019 and are held four times each year. Similar events are also held in Diamond Valley.
The program connects people in need of a fix with volunteers who are willing to take a shot at it, and repairs are done at no cost.
Vince d’Eon, a volunteer fixer at the Okotoks events, says repairs are successful about 60 per cent of the time and people are “tickled pink” if the attempt succeeds.
“I’m having a good day if I can do three out of four,” d’Eon says of his success rate.
He has been helping at Repair Cafés in Okotoks since the first event was held five years ago.
“I hate seeing stuff thrown out when it can be revived,” he says.
Another motivation for the self-described electronics hobbyist is being able to give back to the community.
“I believe that I've gained many moments of happiness living in this community, and if this is a way I can give back, then so be it.”
Tinkering with electronics
He began tinkering with electronics as a child and still enjoys the challenge.
“I've just always maintained that love of working on electronic things,” he says.
There is no guarantee that an item can be repaired at the café, and fixers have different areas of expertise.
“We let the folks running the event know what we're capable of working on,” d’Eon says. “Sometimes, something will walk through the door and we all kind of look at each other, going, ‘OK, well, who's the best to try this?’
“A few of us will look up some repair methodology on the internet if we have to.”
Repair Cafés also aim to educate, and they are a place where people can learn how to fix common items in their homes.
d’Eon is more than happy to show a client what he’s doing, and often, the owner of the item will pitch in and help.
“Sometimes it takes more than two hands to get into something,” d’Eon says.
A memorable repair was an electric clock that had sentimental value to the owners.
“It looked like a miniature grandfather's clock,” d’Eon says. “I don't normally do clocks, but the thing runs on a battery.
“It was a little bit cantankerous, mechanically, for me to work on, but the guy who did clocks was busy, he had two or three lined up.”
He managed to get the clock working and says the owners were delighted. It had belonged to a family member who had passed away, and being able to fix it helped keep that memory alive, d’Eon says.
In case an item can’t be fixed, volunteers let the owner know how to properly dispose of it, or where they can go for professional repairs.
“Electronics contain heavy metals and chemicals, so we want to dispose of them,” d’Eon says. “We don't want to throw them in a landfill, we certainly don't want to throw them in a watershed.”
If the item’s owner wants to try to have a professional repair done, parts and labour at a repair shop could still be cheaper than buying new, d’Eon says.
All kinds of items accepted
Items accepted at the events in Okotoks include electronics, small appliances, smaller pieces of furniture, toys, clothing and housewares. A lot of the time, fixes are straightforward and fairly common, d’Eon says.
“We see a whole lot of toasters and coffee makers come through the place,” he says.
One client brought in three Walkman portable cassette players because she wanted to listen to certain tapes while jogging and had no way to digitize the recordings.
“I got one of the three working for her,” d’Eon says. “I haven't seen one of those for close to 40 years, but here it was right in front of me.”
An additional social benefit comes as people gather at the events and run into friends or see familiar faces, he says.
Derek Shapka is another long-time volunteer, and he'll take a look at items like appliances, bicycles, toys or furniture.
Shapka says the intent of the Repair Café concept goes back to the classic three R’s — reduce, reuse, recycle.
“If you can keep your stuff going, and if it's a simple repair, then that's more money in your pocket,” he says.
There’s also less impact with keeping that object out of the landfill or recycling centre, he says.
He's been told he's pretty handy, and as a kid, Shapka remembers helping his grandpa on the farm during summers or helping his dad at home.
“Working with my grandpa, changing some belts on the combine, or with my dad, oil changes with our vehicles, that was super-duper common,” Shapka says.
“There was a time where you would buy a TV and it was a kit, and you would build it yourself, and you could save some money. (My dad) did that kind of stuff.”
Skills learned over a lifetime
Shapka enjoys helping people and sharing the skills learned over a lifetime.
“A lot of folks, they weren't raised on a farm background where you have to fix everything because your livelihood was dependent on it,” he says.
He says the first thing he fixed at a Repair Café that left a big impression on him was a baking mixer that was made in the 1980s.
“It was something that her mom had saved a bunch of cash, and gave her as a wedding gift,” Shapka says.
It was more about the memories than the mixer, and Shapka was able to fix it for her.
“On that older stuff, everything is really simple. It was a really easy fix,” he says. “Got it going again and she was very excited.”
In Okotoks, Shapka says three categories of people typically show up at a Repair Café.
The first is people who don’t have the cash to replace something and want to extend its life.
“We'll see a good number of those folks, whether they're bringing in clothes that need a knee stitched up or some appliance or a lamp or something like that,” he says.
Another category brings in expensive items that are past their warranty, and the owners don’t feel good about throwing them away and don’t know what else to do with them.
And then there are “the regulars” that like to share in the community and take part in the events.
Shapka remembers a family that brought in a remote-controlled excavator that had stopped working and he coached them through making the repair.
“They did it themselves, and then to see them all empowered and super excited and having fun with it... it's definitely rewarding to know you can share some of that how-to and then see it in motion."
Shapka estimates there are about 10 volunteers who see an average of five items at each Repair Café, with a success rate of 60 per cent.
“Say 40 items are fixed per quarter for five years, that would be kind of a small impact if you’re to add it all up,” he says.
