Don’t throw away that piece of furniture, item of clothing, or kids’ toy you think is broken. Take it to a Repair Café. Repair Cafés are free meetups where you can bring broken items from home. The meetup location has tools and materials on hand for your repairs, and category specialists are on hand to assist you in completing the repair your item needs. There are more than two thousand Repair Cafés around the world, and you can usually drop in without registering or making an appointment.
If your item is too big to bring to a café location, you can still attend—bring some photos of the issue and as many details as you can remember. You might run into an expert who can advise you. Every meetup is volunteer-run, and some groups request you provide a small donation if you’re able. To find a Repair Café near you, visit RepairCafe.org/en/.