Household items fixed for free at Richmond Repair Fair
25 February 2020
“Fix it, don’t toss it” is the theme for Richmond’s first Repair Fair taking place on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Richmond City Hall. By bringing small household items in for repair, Richmond residents can help to reduce waste and save money.
“Sometimes household items are thrown away because either the cost to fix them isn’t deemed worth it, or because it seems easier to just replace it. The Richmond Repair Fair makes it convenient to get free repairs done on a variety of household items,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “We’re hosting this event as a service for our residents that also supports our goal to be a sustainable and environmentally conscious city that shows leadership in addressing climate change and promoting circular economy principles.”
Richmond residents are invited to bring small kitchen appliances and household items to the Repair Fair to be fixed by volunteers from Repair Matters, a Vancouver-based initiative that brings together people with different skill sets and experience to offer their repair expertise. Examples of accepted products include electrical items like toasters, blenders, sewing machines, space heaters and lamps, as well as items like jewelry, toys and bikes.
One item per resident will be accepted, and residents are encouraged to submit the item they plan to bring for repairs by commenting on the City’s Repair Fair Facebook Event page or by contacting the City at garbageandrecycling@richmond.ca, so that fixers are able to plan accordingly to have the required tools available.
Residents are asked to stay at the event while their item is in for repair and are encouraged to visit the kids activity centre and information booths to learn tips on how to improve recycling and reduce waste. The Repair Fair is not able to accept large appliances, electronics like TVs, computers and phones, or clothing.
As the City launches its first Repair Fair, there will also be opportunities for fixers sign up as volunteers with Repair Matters at repairmatters.ca. The Richmond Repair Fair event is a pilot project for 2020. If there is strong community interest, this event could be continued each year.
The following is the current schedule for 2020 Repair Fair events:
March 14 Richmond Repair Fair - Cancelled
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Richmond City Hall
April 18 Environmental Sustainability Workshops at City Hall - Cancelled
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Richmond City Hall
May 9 Public Works Open House - Cancelled
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Operation Works Yard
June 27 Richmond Repair Fair
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Richmond City Hall
Sept. 12 Environmental Sustainability Workshops at City Hall
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Richmond City Hall
Sept. 26 Richmond Repair Fair
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Richmond City Hall
Oct. 24 Richmond Repair Fair
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Richmond City Hall