Volunteer fixer Darren Moffatt repairs a community member’s clock at a recent repair event.

Darren Moffatt has always loved tinkering. Although it’s not his day job, several times a year you’ll find him volunteering as a “fixer” at King County-sponsored repair events. He can be spotted working a screwdriver, applying glue, or even rewiring electronics. “Repair events help keep items out of the landfill by giving them new life instead of throwing them away.” Darren says. “But repair events also have invaluable community impact. At one event, a woman brought me a broken hair clip that seemed simple to me. A piece had fallen off and when I fixed it, she was really emotional – she shared that it was an heirloom and had been in her family for generations. I realized how much more these events mean for people than just waste prevention.”

Every year, the Solid Waste Division hosts a series of community repair events throughout King County, where volunteers like Darren help people repair personal and household items at no cost.

This year marks a major milestone: After 10 years, the repair program hosts its 100th event on May 9 at the West Hill Community Center in Skyway.

“It’s incredible to see how the Solid Waste Division’s repair events have grown over the past decade. I remember my first time attending a community repair back in 2016 and admiring the skill and dexterity the fixers at the event had. What I was most amazed at, however, was that they were all volunteers! Two years ago, when I attended the Skyway event with my husband, I ran into a woman bringing jewelry to be fixed, only to realize we went to the same church. That moment captured for me how sustainability can look at the local level.”

King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis

How a community repair event works

When you arrive at a repair event, you’ll notice a livelier atmosphere than your typical day at the library or community center. A long line of community members wait to register with their items, ranging from lamps and vacuum cleaners to jewelry or clothing.

Attendees are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis to a volunteer with expertise fixing their specific item. Community members sit with their fixer, occasionally learning some repair skills of their own, or more often, engaging in friendly conversation.

Coordinating all the activity is King County’s repair event project manager Tom Watson. “My focus is on helping as many people as possible,” said Watson, “and doing the juggling between the public and the different fixers, so they can focus on the repair work. Our fixers are really the heart of the program.”

Darren and the other fixers bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and their own tools to each event. The volunteers come from a variety of professional backgrounds but share a passion for fixing things.

The roster for a typical event includes people with expertise in electronics and furniture repair, sewing, and other skills. Fixers typically repair about 70% of items and offer a diagnosis and advice for the items that can’t be fixed. In 2025, over 600 items were repaired by a roster of 35 skilled fixers.

The most common items brought in for repairs are lamps, clothing, and small kitchen appliances like coffee machines. The list of strangest, or most challenging, items to fix includes inflatable holiday decorations, a musical vacuum cleaner, and a Segway.

Why repair matters

Repair is an often-overlooked way to reduce waste. About 70% of what gets sent to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in Maple Valley can be recycled, composted, or preserved through repair and reuse. In most cases, repairing and reusing an item is the easiest and cheapest way to keep it out of the landfill. Repair and reuse also reduces demand for new items, cutting greenhouse gas emissions from producing and delivering new items to market. In this way, these free repair events help advance the County’s zero waste and climate goals while providing a valuable service to communities.

“It’s incredible to see how the Solid Waste Division’s repair events have grown over the past decade,” said King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis. “Two years ago, when I attended the Skyway event with my husband, I ran into a woman bringing jewelry to be fixed, only to realize we went to the same church. That moment captured for me how sustainability can look at the local level.”

After 10 years, the program has helped thousands of residents in 28 cities and unincorporated parts of King County.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to keep the program going and help people in every corner of King County,” said Watson.

More information on repair

King County will continue its repair season with three more events after the 100th session on May 9:

The Solid Waste Division website also maintains a list of repair businesses and repair events hosted by other cities and organizations in and near King County on the repair page.