Réparer au lieu de jeter - martinique2050

The principle is simple, c’It's free. There's a small jackpottThere's a collection box at the entrance to the Repair Café, and people donate whatever they can afford monetary. Martinique 2030 met with Jean-Philippe Marel, iFounder and President of the Eco- AssociationMobil. Interview…

Can you tell us about the association’s early days?

This organization was originally founded with a focus on eco-mobility. In 2004, the first initiative to collect used bicycles took place, during which more than 150 bicycles—some of them in very good condition—were collected in just one morning. The event was so successful that afterward, the children asked us to come to their neighborhoods to repair their bikes. So we continued in this way for four years in the municipalities of Fort-de-France and Le Lamentin. Then the parents asked us to repair various broken appliances. And that’s how, in 2008, the Repair Café was born. The Repair Café is the association’s hub, because even though we regularly participate in various events throughout Martinique, this is where our permanent workshops are located and where people can find us at any time.

What are these different workshops?

Of course, there’s the bike workshop, the computer and small appliance workshop called «La fabrique 2.0,» and the sewing workshop as well.

Let's start with the bike workshop…

People come to the bike workshop to get repairs when something is broken or simply to build a new bike from the parts available. Old bikes found on the side of the road are taken apart there to salvage spare parts, which avoids having to buy new materials.

… What about «La fabrique 2.0»?

The principle is the same as in the bike workshop. Appliances are taken apart there to salvage parts that can be used to repair other appliances. For certain damaged plastic parts, the students design new parts based on the broken ones and print them using a 3D printer. The small appliances section includes all the small electrical appliances found in the home, as well as televisions, VCRs, and DVD players, The only appliances not accepted are large appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers due to a lack of space and transportation concerns.

Where does the workforce for these IT projects come from?

Under the supervision of a manager, the IT side of things is handled primarily by young volunteers in the civic service program. They are the ones who take apart the devices, help people update their computers, and give them advice on downloading software and maintaining their computers, printers, and CPUs. They also help people who need to recover data from a hard drive and even refurbish computers using parts from other computers. For these young volunteers, Eco-Mobil is a great way to gain knowledge they can highlight on their résumés as their first work experience. It allows some of them to gain professional experience related to their field over an eight-month period and to enrich their skills.

And last but not least, the sewing workshop …

Marlène has been the seamstress at the organization for two years, and her role is to help people with anything related to textiles, such as altering clothes, installing zippers, and remaking garments. Marlène also makes bags from recycled materials such as scraps of window shades, sailboat sails, and used advertising banners. There’s a small shop at the entrance where these bags are sold, along with other handmade or repaired items. The principle is always the same. There’s a small donation box at the entrance to the Repair Café, and people contribute whatever they can afford.