Have a broken microwave? Is there a favorite lamp that isn’t illuminating the room any longer?

Don’t throw it out just yet. Let the Dare to Repair Café try to fix it up first.

"We only have so much land and space in this country, this world and the more we can do with whatever we have the better," Chip Blenk, one of Dare to Repair Café’s volunteers. 

The Tool Library teamed with the city of Buffalo to organize a series of repair events. Between now and June, volunteers will be at six different events across Buffalo helping repair small appliances like lamps and microwaves in an effort to give these items a second chance. The next event is scheduled for Monday, January 21, at the Buffalo Museum of Science on Humboldt Parkway. 

"The big thing is landfill diversion,” said Tool Library founder Darren Cotton. “If we can put things back into use, that's great. Over the last nine events we've diverted about two thousand pounds” of electronics and small appliances that otherwise would’ve been trash.

Volunteers will not only try to repair broken items but will also show people how to fix them.

"It's an educational experience for anyone interested and has a lamp or small appliance or anything else to fix," Blenk said. 

"It's a great opportunity to have items repaired, but teach repair skills that have started to vanish," said Cotton.