FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Dave Martin
646-483-5898
dave.goodgovpodcast@gmail.com
April 14, 2026
Fogelsville, PA — What if good government looked like fixing a toaster instead of throwing it away?
On this episode of The Good Government Show, Amanda Romero of Thurston County, Washington, shares the story behind a deceptively simple idea with powerful results: the Fix-It Fair.
The concept is straightforward—bring in broken household items, and volunteer experts help repair them for free. But the impact goes far beyond a working appliance.
“A lot of times our culture finds it easier to throw things away and buy new ones,” Romero explains.
At Thurston County’s events, that mindset is changing.
“82% of the items that people brought in were able to be repaired.”
From small appliances and clothing to bikes and even sentimental keepsakes, hundreds of items are being saved from the landfill—while strengthening community connections in the process.
The program is remarkably efficient:
- 65 items repaired in just three hours
- 387 pounds diverted from landfill in a single event
- Cost: roughly $1,600 to launch
And perhaps most importantly—it’s scalable.
Built through partnerships with local makerspaces, volunteers, and community organizations, the Fix-It Fair demonstrates how local governments can deliver meaningful impact without massive budgets or bureaucracy.
“It’s not a big project… but it does make a difference,” Romero says.
The effort is also part of a broader mission—helping residents rethink consumption and waste in a world where replacing is often easier than repairing.
“It’s really hard to change behavior,” Romero admits. “But we’re showing people they can make a difference.”
Beyond waste reduction, the events create something harder to measure but equally valuable: pride, connection, and shared purpose.
“You don’t go into public service for the money,” Romero says.
You do it for moments like this—where small actions add up to something bigger.
Because good government isn’t always about billion-dollar programs.
Sometimes, it’s about fixing what’s broken—and keeping it out of the trash.
Pull Quotes:
- “82% of the items brought in were repaired.”
- “Our culture finds it easier to throw things away.”
- “It’s not a big project—but it makes a difference.”
- “It’s really hard to change behavior—but we’re trying.”
- “You don’t go into public service for the money.”
The Good Government Show highlights the people and ideas making government work—proving that sometimes the most effective solutions are also the simplest.