They're growing in every region, and a Facebook page highlights the new openings. Magical places, where nothing goes to waste and everything can be repaired. The map around the world
Repair Cafés are growing like wildfire, not only thanks to online, but for once with the push of reality. Rome, Pavia, Trento, Bologna, Perugia: not many days pass before on this Facebook page ., new members of this large community of recycling, reuse, repair, and anti-waste are reported, with continuous updates. But how do Repair Cafés work? First and foremost, they are physical, not virtual, places where people can bring broken or damaged items (such as appliances, clothing, bicycles, electronic devices, etc.) and attempt to repair them for free with the help of expert volunteers. The primary goal is to reduce waste, promote a culture of reuse, and raise awareness of the importance of repairing rather than disposing of items, which ultimately leads to increased waste.
The Repair Cafés are very fashionable, especially among young people, who also seize an innovative opportunity for artisanal work, combined with the paradigms of a very modern circular economy. In this community of "fixers" that has now gone around the world, it is said that the first Repair Café opened in Netherlands where a former journalist, Martine Postma, who became a mother after the birth of her second child, realized how many things were thrown away, even though they could still be useful to someone. That initial idea had so successful that the Dutch state decided to finance these initiatives and collected them in Repair Café Foundation. Today, in the land of tulips, there are more than 500 of them, scattered throughout the country. There are now thousands of Repair Cafés around the world, and you find here their complete map and a Facebook page continuously updated.
In general, Repair Cafés are equipped with workstations with the necessary tools to fix anything but also with theoretical volumes and instructions to learn how to move. They can be attended by anyone and give job seekers the opportunity to make their "fix-it" skills available..
The catalog of items that can be repaired in these places, symbols of the circular economy, is very extensive. First of all, there are all the items relating to the sector appliances and informaticsA universe where, for example, when a washing machine or a PC breaks down, the consumer always hears the same old litany: "You'd better buy a new one...". Then the dressmakingThe idea of mending or repairing a still-new garment with a simple repair has long since disappeared from our compulsive consumer horizons. With Repair Cafés, it's back in fashion. And finally, there are new mobility objects, from bicycles to scooters, and artisanal items, from vases to ashtrays.
Photos are from the Facebook pages of Repair Café International, Repair Café Toronto and Aggiustotutto Repair Café Roma
