Prince William County Government: Fix-It Fair Scheduled To Fix Things That Are Too Good To Throw Away

Press release from Prince William County Government:

Thursday, 30 Sep 2021

It is easy to throw stuff away without a second thought, but Keep Prince William Beautiful, or KPWB, and the Prince William County Solid Waste Division are determined to help people rethink discarding things.

The Solid Waste Division and KPWB will hold their second-annual Fix-It Fair between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Central Library Makerspace at 8601 Mathis Ave., in Manassas.

“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. That’s all in an effort to keep people from just throwing stuff away,” said Keep Prince William Beautiful Executive Director Rico Fleshman. “They can actually maintain stuff and get more longevity out of it as opposed to throwing it away and just getting another one.”

The inaugural 2020 Fix-It Fair was well received, more than 40 Prince William County residents got their special treasures fixed along with other items. “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 fix things that can be fixed. “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.”

KPWB, which receives annual grants from the county’s Neighborhood Services and Solid Waste Divisions, aims to maintain the County’s aesthetic. “Our goal, our mission, our vision is to be environmental stewards to create a sustainable, beautiful and economically thriving Prince William County,”

“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.”

The event 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 are encouraged to maximize the safety of fixers, volunteers, and customers.

This press release was produced by Prince William County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.