Don’t nix it; fix it! Keep Prince William Beautiful (KPWB) and the Prince William County Solid Waste Division are determined to help people rethink our throwaway culture, as they host their second-annual Fix-It Fair, 10 am to 4pm, Oct. 9 at Central Library Makerspace at 8601 Mathis Ave., in Manassas. Appointments are required to have an item fixed, and can be made under the “Events” tab at www.KPWB.org
“It’s a fair where people can bring in personal items in need of repair– anything from bicycles to jewelry to clothing to furniture to small electronics, and we have fixers, volunteers from the community, who come in and fix these items,” said Keep Prince William Beautiful Executive Director Rico Fleshman. He added that the fair is a tangible way to encourage residents to maintain and retain useful items rather than throwing them away.
More than 40 Prince William residents got their special treasures fixed at the inaugural Fix-It Fair in 2020. “Obviously some things can’t be repaired in that amount of time, but the ones who were there actually loved it. So much so, that even our fixers have volunteered to come back this year,” Fleshman said.
Fleshman said it makes sense to repair items that can be fixed, keeping them out of the landfill, conserving resources that go into making replacement items, and saving residents money. “It’s almost like recycling those items. We recycle our plastic bottles. We recycle cans and goods like that. It makes sense for as a sustainability measure for people to do that in their personal lives. We’re all about the advocacy of that for the long term.”
“The Solid Waste Division is happy to coordinate with KPWB and provide this service again to the Prince William community,” said Event Coordinator Deborah Campbell. “The Fix-It Fair is a great way to continue to encourage reuse and waste reduction. Last year, there were lots of smiles and words of appreciation from residents that were able to get their items repaired.”
“Our goal, our mission, our vision is to be environmental stewards to create a sustainable, beautiful and economically thriving Prince William County,” said of Fleshman of his organization, which receives annual grants from the county’s Neighborhood Services and Solid Waste Divisions and organizes a number of community cleanups throughout the year.
The Fix-It Fair is open to everyone in the County. Registration is required. Find the “Events” tab at www.KPWB.org to register and make an appointment to have something fixed.
Masks and social distancing is requested to maximize the safety of fixers, volunteers, and customers.