The Vashon Tool Library and Zero Waste Vashon have partnered to bring the island a repair cafe in an effort to encourage fixing household items instead of throwing them away.

It’s part of a trend that is sweeping the nation as people recognize that many items can be fixed simply and cheaply with guidance from experienced repair people. Here on Vashon, the cafe will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at the Penny Farcy Training Center on Bank Road. Members of the tool library, Zero Waste Vashon (ZWV) and repair-minded tinkerers and community members will offer help to fix small electrical appliances, furniture, clothing, toys or “just about anything thing that you can carry in by yourself,” according to The Vashon Fix-It website.

There is no cost and no guarantee that all items can be fixed. Participants should not bring any items that are leaking, dangerous, contain gasoline or have a strong odor. Islanders must be present while their item is being fixed so they can learn too.

There are more than 1,000 repair cafes worldwide listed on the repaircafe.org site, with 1,000 in Europe alone. The United States has 43, and the number is growing as others, such as the one on Vashon, begin.

For more information and to sign up to get an item fixed or become a fixer, visit vashonfixit.com/contact. Vashon Fix-It can be found on Facebook by searching for Vashon Fix-It Cafe. The Facebook page, created earlier this month, already has more than 100 likes and enthusiastic comments from many islanders.

The project is funded by the King County Eco-Consumer Program, which encourages repair cafes, reusing and recycling clothing, reducing junk mail and keeping unnecessary items out of landfills. Repair events in King County have been held in Auburn, SeaTac, Redmond, Kent, Federal Way, Renton, White Center and Bellevue.

“Our overall success rate at these events for repairing items or helpfully diagnosing the problem (you may need to get a new part, for example) has generally been 70 percent or higher, although some electronics may be difficult to fix,” the county’s Eco-Consumer Program states.

For more information about the county program, see your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/ecoconsumer.