Many who care about sustainability and reducing waste might find another important practice increasingly harder to come by: repairing something before replacing it. For example, my smart watch doesn’t make it through the day anymore. Rather than simply getting a new one, I can get the battery replaced for under $100. The same can be done for smart phones. 

Repairing gets more complicated with other devices and appliances. A generation or so ago, folks would repair lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, TVs and other appliances before replacing them. But with million-dollar marketing campaigns and an economy based on consumption, we end up with fewer and fewer professionals left to repair things. We end up trashing all sorts of machines and devices that with a little care, could have stayed out of the landfill and given us more years of service. Repairing also saves money and supports a skilled labor community or local businesses. 

When our family’s beloved espresso machine malfunctioned, I was certainly tempted to upgrade to a fancier new machine, although they are expensive. But throwing away a beautiful stainless-steel machine seemed to be such a waste. I decided to ship it to the store in New York (WholeLatteLove.com) for a repair. After months in the repair shop, it was returned home only to discover one of the replacement parts had failed again. And although the store did right by us and refunded the repair cost (I highly recommend them for the record), we were back with a broken machine and no way to make espresso. 

Now I was second guessing my efforts at reducing waste (not to mention all the time spent). 

My wife then mentioned the Fix-It Shop at the Lexington Community Center. Might this machine’s journey have one more saving chance to avoid the scrap pile? 

I brought our machine to the Fix-It Shop, and they were happy to give a repair a try. First Chuck then David Lieb diligently worked on the machine. They had me order parts and even after we received the wrong part more than once, David didn’t give up! He eventually found the correct part, which we ordered and he installed. 

This week, I received a call from the incredibly friendly Fix-It Shop coordinator who told me the machine was repaired! After many months, I couldn’t believe it. I brought it home and as of this morning, we are back in home-espresso-making joy, and our machine avoided the scrap yard.

I hope this story encourages others to consider repairing before replacing something. I highly recommend the Lexington Community Center Fix-It Shop and its amazing group of dedicated volunteers. Thank you, David and the wonderful team at the Fix-It Shop!! 

Alex Tsouvalas

[The Fix-It Shop is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 9:00 – 11:45 a.m. Please call to make an appointment: 781-698-4866 or 781-698-4840.]

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