Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
Every third Saturday in Burlington’s Old North End, volunteers come together to fix one another’s broken belongings, eat bagels and do something good for the environment. Everyone has a role.
At a recent session of the Old North End Repair Cafe, one volunteer greeted everyone, another sewed and repaired textiles and some dropped by just to enjoy the company. They came with the shared purpose of reducing unnecessary waste.
That’s a big challenge. Vermont generates about 912,180 tons of waste annually, with much of that total winding up in the landfill despite recycling programs, according to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources 2024 Diversion and Disposal Report.
In an era of overconsumption, some Vermonters have taken to creating third spaces with the goal of repair. People passionate about the environment or simply looking to save money and reduce their waste have a growing interest in places where they can fix what’s broken and get to know other people in spaces like the repair cafe, which meets at 12-22 North Street.
“It’s a great community of people who are here to support each other and socialize,” said Ali Hamedani, a repair cafe volunteer. “It just seems like a wonderful community of friends with a shared goal of helping each other, helping random strangers, all for free, to repair and renew things and maintain connections with each other.”
A new state-funded program, ReuseVT, aims to connect Vermonters with opportunities to repair their broken belongings and reduce waste. The website’s directory lists repair cafes, including the one in Burlington’s Old North End. It also features Vermont businesses and nonprofits that provide repair services and libraries that loan items from cookie pans to snowshoes.
When something breaks, the fastest, cheapest fix is usually to buy another one. Susan Alexander, director of ReuseVT, said that convenience has changed how people think.
“There’s nothing more appealing to consumers than cheap and convenient,” she said. “The reality is, that toaster may have 99% working parts and just one little thing that needs to be fixed on it, but it’s really hard to find people with those skill sets.”
Economically, repairing instead of repurchasing can be difficult for the average consumer.
“Sometimes repair is as expensive, if not more so, than replace,” Alexander said. “If I can buy a toaster online for $27, but my guy down the road (who can fix it) is going to charge me $35, that’s a hard barrier.”
However, there is a strong case for repairing and reusing items. It conserves resources, supports outlets for low-cost goods and promotes a local, circular economy.
Repair keeps local dollars local, Alexander says.
“When I go to the thrift shop or when I went down the road and had my lamp repaired, I took the money that I’m earning on this job, I give it to the guy who’s fixing my lamp, then he goes down to the grocery store and buys his groceries,” she said.
Trav Fryer, who runs the Old North End Repair Cafe, says the fixer-upper approach comes naturally to him.
“It just feels very innate to me. Why would you throw it out? It’s so much more efficient,” he said.
He was inspired to start hosting repair cafes in Burlington after attending them regularly in Palo Alto, California.
Other regulars describe themselves as coming from “mend-it” families.
“My mom grew up on a farm. The first move was always to try to mend it and keep it alive,” said Chrissy Bedard, a regular volunteer at the repair cafe. “Once you put your heart and soul into something, you want to keep it around as long as you can, so knowing how to fix it is a huge piece of that.”
ReuseVT launched about a year and a half ago, funded through an Environmental Protection Agency grant awarded to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Alexander wrote the original proposal, which is now in its second year. She said the funding filled a gap in how the state had long approached waste.
“For years and years and years, people have put money into recycling,” she said. But reduction and reuse went underfunded.
Many Vermonters are looking for ways to be more sustainable in their daily life. A source like ReuseVT simplifies the search with information including the website repair directory.
“The community has really been looking for a directory that’s specific to reuse and repair opportunities,” Alexander said.
Vermont’s reuse and repair culture goes beyond any one organization. Alexander noted that numerous organizations around Vermont are part of the reuse movement. ReSource Vermont, a statewide nonprofit with locations in Burlington, Williston, Barre, and Morrisville, has a threefold mission.
“One is to keep things out of the landfill, so it’s an environmental piece. It’s also poverty alleviation … and then their third thing, they also do a lot of repair training,” Alexander said.
Also in Burlington, Generator teaches skills like jewelry making or woodworking to anyone willing to learn — skills that can be applied to repair work as well as new products.
“They basically create community around providing a space for people to either just come in and use it for a workspace, or they provide equipment and teach classes,” Alexander said.
She hopes to see the movement grow, and perhaps one day see an annual gathering and a vending event built entirely around reused and repaired goods.
Meanwhile, repair cafes, such as the one in Burlington, are built around fixing things together.
“We want it to be a learning experience and hands-on,” Fryer said.
Fryer sees something specific to Vermont’s rural and agricultural heritage in repair culture: scrappiness.
“Farmers have to fix things themselves,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to fix the tractor to keep farming. You kind of just have to figure it out.”