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The Rise of Repair Cafés

A few years ago, I threw away a desk lamp because the switch stopped working. I felt slightly guilty, but I told myself it was cheaper to replace it than to fix it. Then a friend invited me to a repair café in my neighbourhood, and I realised how quickly we accept waste as normal. (1) .......... The idea is simple: local volunteers with practical skills meet in a community space and help people repair broken items. Some visitors bring clothes with torn seams; others arrive carrying a toaster, a bicycle wheel or a pair of headphones. You don’t pay for the repair, but you might donate a small amount to support the venue. (2) .......... Of course, not everything can be saved. Sometimes a part is missing, or the object was designed in a way that makes opening it almost impossible. Even then, the volunteers usually explain what went wrong and what you could look for next time when buying something similar. Repair cafés have also become unexpectedly social. While you wait, you end up talking to strangers about the story behind your object: who gave it to you, why you like it, and how long you’ve had it. There is a quiet satisfaction in seeing something return to life. (3) .......... This shift matters because repairing is not only about saving money. It reduces the demand for new products, which in turn lowers the energy used in manufacturing and transport. It also prevents electronic waste from ending up in landfill, where it can leak harmful substances. (4) .......... That’s why many repair cafés run short workshops alongside the main event. You might learn how to replace a zipper, sharpen kitchen knives or check a loose cable safely. The aim is not to turn everyone into an engineer, but to make people less afraid of trying. Still, there is a bigger challenge. Some companies make repairs difficult by using special screws, sealing devices with glue, or refusing to sell spare parts. Critics argue that this encourages customers to buy new products sooner than necessary. (5) .......... For repair cafés, the debate is practical rather than political. If a visitor arrives with a phone that needs a new battery, the volunteers can only help if the battery is available and the phone can be opened without breaking it. In that sense, laws and design choices directly shape what can be repaired in real life. My lamp, by the way, did not need anything expensive. A volunteer cleaned the contacts, replaced a small piece of wire, and tested it in front of me. It took fifteen minutes. (6) .......... I still buy new things sometimes, but I now pause before replacing something that has stopped working. And when I can’t fix it myself, I know there is a table of tools, patience and expertise waiting somewhere nearby.