Fix It Dont Pitch It

WHAT IS FIX IT! DON’T PITCH IT?

Fix It! Don't Pitch It is a unique community event that encourages residents to extend the life of their belongings by having them fixed for free by handy volunteers. By doing so, participants consume fewer resources and help reduce landfill waste.

WHEN IS THE NEXT FIX IT! DON'T PITCH IT EVENT?

Saturday, September 28, 2024
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Marks Street Senior Recreation Complex
99 E. Marks Street
Orlando, FL 32803

*Services are subject to change based on availability of repair volunteers.

REGISTRATION

Registration details coming soon.

IMPACT REPORT

Residents saved approximately $5,762 by having items repaired at the April, 11 2024 event.

Fix It! events have saved residents approximately $60,845 across *all FIDPI events since 2017.

Our April 11, 2024 event diverted 118 pounds of waste from going to the landfill.

2,440 total pounds have been diverted across *all Fix It! events since 2017.

*all Fix It! events include events hosted by City of Winter Park, City of Orlando and OC.
Reminder, zero Fix It! events were hosted during COVID.

Success Stories

FIDPI collage Huge thanks to our volunteers for donating your time and skills to make a difference in our community. With each Fix It! Don’t Pitch It event we promote and reinforce the message to reduce, reuse, REPAIR and recycle. Thank you for being a part of this meaningful effort.
Some items repaired include:

Backpack
Bike
Blender
Coffee Pot
3 laptops
Drawer
Electric hair curling brush
6 pieces of jewelry
Leaf blower
Oscillating tower fan
Pressure washer
Quilt
Radio Cassette & CD player
2 shirts
Tower tripod water sprinkler
2 vacuums
VHS-C video camera
Watch
Weed whacker

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of items can I bring in for repair?

The types of items that can be repaired may vary based on the skills of the fixer volunteers for the event. Generally, we try to offer repairs on the following items:

Clothing/textiles
Electronics (no cell phones)
Small appliances and household items
Electric motorized tools*
Jewelry/Watches
Bicycles

Please be sure to bring all parts needed to complete the repair, including power and charging cables. If you are unsure about what the issue is with your item, our fixers will do their best to diagnose the problem for future repair efforts.

*We are not authorized to work on tools that require oil and/or gas to operate.

What should I bring with me?

Item to be fixed
Batteries or power cords for the item
Extra parts needed for the repair (inner tube for a bike tire, light bulb for a lamp, etc.)

When is Fix It! Don’t Pitch It?

Orange County aims to provide two events each year, one in the fall and one in the spring.

How do I register?

A registration link will be posted on this website 30 days prior to the next scheduled event.

What types of skills do I need to volunteer?

We look for a variety of volunteers for our events. Some skills we look for in our “fixers” include:

Sewing
Watch/Jewelry repair
Soldering
Bicycle repair
Mechanical Items (electric-powered weed eaters, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers)
General household tinkering

The more fixers we have, the more items we can repair during the event.
Not every volunteer needs to be handy to participate. We also need volunteers for check-in and collecting surveys from our patrons.

When was the first Fix It! event?

The very first Fix It! event was hosted by the City of Winter Park on May 13, 2017.
The very first Fix It! event hosted by Orange County was April 21, 2018.

CONTACT US

For any questions about the event, volunteering or a specific repair, contact:
Email: FixIt@ocfl.net
Phone: 407-836-1440

All e-mail sent to this address becomes part of Orange County public record. Comments received by our e-mail subsystem can be read by anyone who requests that privilege. In compliance with "Government in the Sunshine" laws, Orange County Government must make available, at request, any and all information not deemed a threat to the security of law enforcement agencies and personnel.