How many times have we thrown something away simply because it stopped working?

An old laptop, a broken toy, or some other electronic gadget that’s been sitting in a drawer for years.

Sometimes, replacing something feels easier than trying to repair it. And understandably so, we don’t always have the tools, knowledge, or confidence to figure out what’s wrong.

But what if we could change that, even on a small scale?

A little idea worth exploring

I’ve always enjoyed taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and seeing whether something considered broken can be brought back to life, or perhaps reused for a different purpose.

Over time, I’ve collected quite a few discarded electronics, whether from e-waste bins or friends clearing out unwanted items.

Some are beyond repair, others only need a relatively simple fix or maintenance, and occasionally, something completely unexpected becomes useful for another project.

This interest in repairing and repurposing things has led me to connect with the local community of like-minded makers, while also developing a small community repair initiative in collaboration with MSPCA Charity Shops.

This collaboration came naturally because the MSPCA Charity Shops already have sustainability, reuse and repurposing at their core, together with supporting animals in need at MSPCA shelter. So bringing the local community together around repair felt like a natural way to compliment that work.

It’s more than just fixing things. While the goal is to repair items that might otherwise end up as waste, there’s another aspect that interests me just as much.

Learning and skill sharing.

You don’t necessarily need any previous experience with electronics or repairs to become curious about how something works. Perhaps you’ve never held a soldering iron, opened an electronic device, or used a multimeter. That’s perfectly fine.

I’d love for this initiative to become an opportunity for people to discover that repairing something isn’t always as complicated as it might seem.

Of course, not everything can be fixed, and certain devices require specialist knowledge or equipment. Safety will always come first. But even when a repair isn’t successful, there can still be something valuable to learn from the experience.

The plan is to start small by organising a repair meetup at the charity shop, hopefully towards the end of each month. For now the initiative is still in its early stages, and I’m exploring the level of interest from people who might have items they’d like to look at.

I’ve put together a simple registration form below where people can submit information about their devices in advance. This is crucial as it will help me understand what kinds of items to expect, whether they’re suitable, and what tools or materials might be needed.

There’s no guarantee that every item can be repaired, but even understanding the issue and what might be needed can be valuable, especially when seeking further help.

Small steps towards less waste

We often talk about sustainability in terms of recycling, but extending the life of things we already own is just as important, and should come before recycling whenever possible.

Repairing, reusing, and repurposing can reduce unnecessary waste while helping us become a little more resourceful.

This initiative might start with just a handful of devices and a few curious people, and that’s absolutely fine. After all, every repaired item is one less thing that might end up in the bin.

So, if you’ve got an old device gathering dust and would like to see whether it can be revived, I’d love to hear about it.

The idea isn’t simply to have things repaired for you, but to get involved, learn, and explore possible repairs together.

Let’s see what we can bring back to life, or learn, or both!

If you read this far, thank you!

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