Repair Cafe helps reduce waste in Oneonta

ONEONTA, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – A new eco-friendly initiative is coming to Otsego County next week to assist community members while reducing waste.

The ARC Otsego is partnering with the CIty of Oneonta Sustainability Committee to host a Repair Cafe.

Individuals with broken items can bring them to the event where repair coaches will fix them for free. Repair coaches will be able to fix a variety of things including jewelry, clothing, small electrical appliances, and more. They will also teach those in attendance how to repair their item.

The event is part of the City’s Climate Smart City Initiative.

Cathie Paluch is a member of the City’s Sustainability Tax Force. She says the event is a small effort to push back on waste in the community.

“Hopefully most people understand that climate change is real and serious and that there are a lot of levels of effort to try and push back against that. Certainly, the few things we recycle or throw away just simply because they’re broken, we can push back on all of that going into a dump,” said Paluch.

The Repair Cafe is sponsored by the Otsego ReUse Center which is an ARC initiative. The ReUse center allows community members to drop off their unwanted items and they are resold to people who can fix them, giving them new life.

Chief Marketing Officer Faith Tiemann says initiatives like these are what keep Otsego County green.

“We are hoping that by bringing items to the Repair Cafe and seeing how it easy is it to fix some of the things that we always think of as trash, that people will think twice before they throw something out. So, if you’ve got a broken lamp or a pair of earrings that fell off, you’ll think twice before you throw them away and buy new,” said Tiemann.

The Repair Cafe will be held on October 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the ARC Otsego’s Mainview Pottery and More space, at 77 Main Street in Oneonta.

To register, search The Arc Otsego on Facebook. Walk-ins will also be accepted.

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