Repair Cafe Recap – January 2024

Repair Cafe Recap - January 2024

By Chloe’ Skye

Well, hello again! How were your holidays?

We’re getting right to it this year with our repair events. Come see us with bikes you’d like to fix for spring, clothes that can be easily refreshed with a little sewing, and all that electrical equipment that was just working a minute ago, but now you don’t know why it won’t turn on 🤔

👋 Psst! Read to the bottom of this blog post to find dates for February’s two repair events — and keep in mind that our regular monthly last Sunday event will be held at Bronx 5200 in February and March. We’ll return to Den Bla Kvarter in April.

January 2024 stats

Our year in repair got off to a great start! Here’s what we saw:

🎧 2x audio equipment
🚲 Bike light
✂ Hedge trimmer
👖 4x pants
🚂 Toy train
🚿 Shower curtain
🌬 Vacuum
💡 4x various lamps/lights
📃 Printer
🔍 Mirror

Items fixed / problem found: 12 of 17

Success rate:

7️⃣1️⃣% — that we know of! We are working to fix 2 additional items.

Three items cannot be repaired because the repair part is not available.

Stories from the January Repair Cafe

We had a great first event on January 28. Holding our events at Bronx 5200 has allowed us to meet new and old guests AND explain what we do to people who are just passing through, but might want to try extending the life of their items in the future!

It’s also a great way to enjoy a cup of coffee, soft drink, or yummy pastry while you wait to speak with our volunteers .🥐

This month our expert clothing repairer Roberta was busy with jeans, sweatpants, and even a shower curtain!

Volunteer Daniel spent the whole event working on a printer — and while he got to the bottom of the problem, we determined it would be difficult to find the part needed.

Meanwhile, volunteer Vinicius saw some Christmas lights that wouldn’t work, and even a lava lamp. 🪔

Volunteer Ondrej got to work on a vacuum, an item that he has a lot of experience with. He’ll continue to work on the repair at home .🧹

Remember, Repair Cafe has volunteers of all ages and nationalities. If you’re interested in helping spread the right to repair movement, don’t hesitate to reach out at info@repaircafeodense.dk 📧

International repair news

Amazing news! The EU Parliament has reached an initial agreement for a new law to strengthen the right to repair for common household items like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and smartphones! 🛠

Once the agreement is formally adopted, manufacturers must:

Inform customers of the right to repair
Make spare parts available for repair at a “reasonable price”
Make prices available online
Lend customers a substitute item during the repair period
Repair items in a reasonable period of time
Offer extended warranty (1 year) for repaired products

The EU Commission will make a repair platform available online for all EU member states. After the new law is formally adopted, all EU states must add the directive to national law within a year, including at least one incentive for repair (including vouchers, VAT reduction, etc.).

“With the agreement reached today, Europe makes a clear choice for repair instead of disposal. By Facilitating the repair of defective goods, we not only give a new life to our products, but also create good quality jobs, reduce our waste, limit our dependency on foreign raw materials and protect our environment,” said Alexia Bertrand, the Belgian consumer protection state secretary, who led the negotiations on behalf of EU countries. (Sources: EU Council; Euractiv)

What’s coming up next?

In February, we have two repair events — both at Bronx 5200.

📅 Sunday, February 25 at Bronx, 13.00-16.00 — regular monthly event.

📅 Wednesday, March 13 at Bronx, 18.00-20.00

Remember, our monthly Sunday events will be at Bronx 5200 in February and March. This means you can get a coffee, soft drink, or snack for a reasonable price while you repair your item.

We’re also holding our annual General Assembly with the Board election in February. More news to come!

See you soon at Bronx!

Repair Cafe Odense