RUSZ: Refurbishment of repair services

Quoting from Refurbishment of repair services:

At the Repair and Service Center in Vienna, the long-term unemployed retrain to be "mechatronic engineers" and repair electronic devices. Founder Sepp Eisenriegler tirelessly initiates networks, projects, and cafés—all dedicated to the art of fixing things.

Cheap washing machines often "have a screw loose" as well. "Designed to break," Eisenriegler calls it. The shock absorbers are the pre-determined breaking points. They are built so weakly that the ball bearings and the drum bearing break. A new washing unit, consisting of bearing, tub, and drum, however, costs the same as a brand-new "disposable washer." Buying cheap does not pay off, the social entrepreneur advises, because "for each 100 euros you spend more, your washer will last a year longer."

screw14—RepCafé: Since November 2013, laypeople can come to the RUSZ every Thursday afternoon to fix their own broken appliances with the help of specialists. "Repair cafés are a breeding ground for critiquing capitalism and for quality of life," Eisenriegler believes. Tools and coffee are free. You won't find any single-serve coffee capsules, though—they generate about 3 grams of trash per cup.