The collective operates multiple repair stations, including a bike shop where volunteers teach minor repairs, and a textile room for fixing buttons.

SAN DIEGO — The Reuse and Repair Collective, which held its grand opening on Sept. 25, is working to change San Diego’s throwaway culture by teaching residents how to repair appliances, bicycles, textiles, and other household items instead of discarding them.

Founded by Laura Anthony, the collective brings together volunteer experts who share their knowledge with community members. 

“We wanted to have a space in San Diego to allow the community to come in and repair their favorite items. It could be small appliances. It could be textiles. It could be bicycles,” said Laura Anthony.

The collective operates multiple repair stations, including a bike shop where volunteers teach minor repairs like changing tires, and a textile room for fixing buttons and hand-sewn items. For those who have repair knowledge but lack tools, the collective maintains a tool room stocked with screwdrivers, Dremel bits, pipe wrenches, drill bits, micro drivers, and other equipment available on a loaner basis.

By teaching repair skills, the collective aims to extend the lifespan of household items. 

“So, the idea is to conserve our resources [and] learn the ability on how to keep things longer,” said Anthony.

Volunteer Paul Gutierrez works directly with visitors to diagnose and fix broken items. 

“While working through, it can communicate what I’m looking at with the person who brought in the device, to figure out what it needs and to get it working again,” Gutierrez said.

During a recent repair demonstration, Gutierrez fixed a broken iron by splicing a damaged wire using a wire nut connector. 

Most visitors are surprised by how simple repairs can be. 

“They’re usually very surprised that it was something they could have done at home, and they thanked me for showing them the way,” Gutierrez said.