Have you ever thrown away a lamp that only needed a new switch?
Many people have, but a growing number now take broken things to a repair café.
A repair café is a free event where volunteers help visitors fix their own things.
The first one opened in Amsterdam in 2009, and today there are thousands around the world.
At the repair café in our town, which meets in the public library on the first Saturday of every month, you can bring almost anything.
People bring toasters, bikes, jeans, laptops, and even toys.
The volunteers, who are often retired engineers or students, don't just fix things.
They show you how to do it yourself, so you learn something new.
Ben, a nine-year-old boy who came last month, repaired his favorite toy car with a little help.
He said, “ It's the first thing I've ever fixed!”
Repair cafés keep useful objects out of the trash, and they bring neighbors together.