Repair Clark County program reopens using drop-off format

Columbia Springs has reopened its popular Repair Clark County program, in which skilled volunteers repair small household items for free.

The program’s goal is to reduce the number of discarded items in local landfills.

The program resumes its remote format with drop-off and pickup on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month.

The next drop-off time is 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Columbia Springs, 12208 S.E. Evergreen Highway, Vancouver.

Items that can be repaired include small electrical items, such as toasters and lamps, fans, torn or damaged clothing, broken costume jewelry, radios, books, dolls, picture frames or figurines.

Volunteers cannot guarantee that items will be fixed, but every object will be assessed and a repair attempted if possible. The program isn’t accepting bikes, microwaves, gas engines or anything larger than can be easily carried by one person.

Knives, scissors and flat-bladed tools can be sharpened, but not anything with multiple teeth, such as hedge trimmers or saw blades. Bar codes are assigned to items as they arrive so that they can be easily tracked.

Before dropping any item off, it must be registered online at www.columbiasprings.org/events/repair-clark-county/. Participants can also view the pickup and drop-off schedule or get more details about which items can and can’t be repaired.

Those dropping items must wear masks covering the nose and mouth (no face screens or masks with valves). Items can be registered at any time. Those who’ve registered items will get one to two days’ notice before the next drop-off date with further instructions.

Program coordinator Terra Heilman is opening the Repair Goes Remote program to local nursing homes and adult care facilities. Residents can submit small items to be repaired. The items will be picked up in bulk, repaired if possible, and dropped off in bulk.

For more information, contact Heilman at 360-882-0926, ext. 224.