CINCINNATI — It looks like the land of misfit toys.
On the second floor of a warehouse in Lower Price Hill, there’s a pallet box full of vacuum cleaners. There are stacks of microwaves and TVs. Rows and rows and rows of appliances people don’t want anymore.
"Jump right in," said Jerome Wilson, reuse manager at Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub. "Grab a toaster."
Wilson leads what he calls the tinker team, a group of volunteers trying to extend the life of products that come into the organization. They do that by fixing them. Some just need new batteries. Some only need unclogging.
Still, for a lot of people, it’s easier to just throw them away.
WATCH: Meet the volunteers who fix what most throw away
"We want to make sure this stuff gets a chance to go back out there again," Wilson said.
Because even recycling comes with some environmental concerns. And Wilson said it’s better to fix something rather than immediately recycle it.
That’s why Elaine Moscovitz brings her own toolbox. She used to fix houses and always tinkers at home.
"This is perfect," Moscovitz said with a laugh. "When I read about this, I said, 'Oh, that's me.'"
Once the volunteers fix a product, the hub donates the item to a nonprofit working with people experiencing homelessness. If the team can’t fix it, they recycle it.
But with a little tinkering, they find the products almost always work.
"You might feel like what you do doesn’t make a difference," said Katrina Weiss, marketing director for the hub. "But it turns out when we all do it together, it does."
Since 2021, the organization says it has kept more than 1.3 million pounds of waste out of landfills.
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Want to get involved?
The tinker team meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m., as well as the fourth Wednesday at noon. Click here for volunteering opportunities.
Leaders say you don't need to be an expert fixer to help.
There is a fundraiser on April 23 to raise money for tools and spare parts for the team at 6 p.m. at Fireside Pizza: 773 E McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206
