It often times works out cheaper and less arduous to discard a broken electronic and buy a new one than it does to get the old gadget fixed at the local repair shop in Europe or in most developed countries.
The throwaway culture that we have cultivated when it comes to broken electronics is increasing our e-waste manifold. To combat this, the Repair Café Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organisation, is encouraging people to fix their gadgets instead of throwing them away.
Repair cafés first sprang up in 2009 in the Netherlands and, steadily, partner cafes have opened up in Europe and the US. There are now already more than 400 repair cafés around the world.
Uniting people from various fields of specialisation (including those without any professional know-how about electronic repairing), the cafés are inclusive and provide opportunities to people who might be marginalised. The cafés are meeting places where people come together to mend broken items and gain valuable practical knowledge that prevents them having to throw away old electronics and saves them a little money, too.
Even if you do not have anything to repair, you can drop in to lend a helping hand or browse through books on repair or just enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Repair cafés are free of charge to the public but satisfied customers can drop in donations in the tip jars and piggybanks placed in the cafes as it helps the organisers to at least cover a part of their costs.
All Repair cafés across the globe can be found under the listings on the Repair Café website and here is the link to the repair café closest to where you live.
‘Toss it? No way!’
