Contact: Sarah Grimm, Lane County Waste Management, 541-682-4339

Reuse is going strong in Lane County, so “Where is repair?” That is the question Waste Reduction Specialist Sarah Grimm sought to answer for Earth Day this year. Turns out, repair is going strong too – for some things, not so much for others.

Throughout the Spring and early Summer months, Lane County partnered with NextStep’s ReUseRadio.org (talk radio 1320 AM) to engage in a community conversation about reuse and repair in Lane County. This effort sought to explore the barriers and opportunities that community members encounter when thinking about repairing broken items instead of throwing them out and buying new.

“When we choose to spend our money on this type of local service economy instead of buying into more wasteful and more distant manufacturing of new products,” said Grimm, “we participate directly in building a stronger, sustainable future for our local communities.”  

And now Lane County Waste Management has created a Repair2Reuse Guide to promote this local service economy.

You can pick up a copy of the new guide at the Lane County Fair’s Master Recycler Booth, Lane County Transfer Sites, Lane County’s Public Services Building downtown, and at both NextStep Recycling stores! Better yet, the guide is available 24/7 online at repair2reuse.org. The website guide will be kept more fully up-to-date, and features a discussion board for service reviews, repair questions and answers, and a place to share ideas and information. 

“We are finding that while there are more small wood furniture repair options than we imagined,” Grimm further explained, “there is a large unmet demand for small appliance repair such as toasters, coffee makers and such”  

The repair resource guide (both online and printed) will provide local contacts for reuse and repair service providers in addition to tips and ideas for do-it-yourselfers.

Community members are encouraged to continue the conversation about repair by tuning in to 1320 AM for the new ReUseRadio talk show at 3 p.m. every Wednesday. Ideas comments, reviews and announcements may also be submitted through repair2reuse.org, or contacting Lane County’s Waste Reduction Specialist, Sarah Grimm directly at 541-682-4339.

Amber Fossen

Public Information Officer

Lane County Government

125 E. Eighth Ave.

Eugene, Oregon 97401

541.682.3718