Maker Mig’s a GOOD neighbor

Energy & Sustainability
Maker Mig’s a GOOD neighbor
trashCan.jpg

“Maker Mig” sent us news of this little act of maker-y kindness, done in support of GOOD magazine’s Neighbor Day. We asked, if people did anything in support of this event, to let us know, so Miguel let us know of this trashcan repair:

A couple of months ago, my neighbor was upset that the recycling truck slammed her trashcan down and broke the plastic hinges that held the wheels in place. This is quite a problem for people. The cans sit in the sun and then get slammed around by the recycling trucks and always end up breaking. They get replaced for 60-100 bucks a pop, depending on the size. My neighbor said she was upset that she was going to have to pay 60 bucks for a new one.

For Neighbor Day (which is also my birthday this year), I decided to take care of it for her. With a few hose clamps, screws, and some plywood, I fashioned a fix. From the photo, you can see that the wheels where originally held on by the plastic and you can see how they’re broken. So far, this has held pretty well and no complaints from the city! She offered to pay me for the time but I said no big deal and let it go.

It’s not a very impressive project, and yet, it shows how you can fix things rather than get new ones!

Maker Mig

4 thoughts on “Maker Mig’s a GOOD neighbor

  1. tgmake says:

    Good for you. I replaced two ceiling fans on my neighbor’s back porch last month. It was really hard to convince her after I was done that I really didn’t mind doing it, and that I enjoyed working on things and was happy to do it since nothing at my house needed repair that weekend. :)

  2. craig says:

    I was in the bicycle biz for 12 years. I accumulated a lot of parts over the years as well as tune-up know how. If a neighborhood kid had bike problems, I’d fix it for him. I did this so often, soon kids would come up to me and politely ask if I’d fix their bike. One night I was outside and heard kids talking, one kid was ringing doorbells and running away. Another kid said “Not this house, Craig is a cool guy.” Needless to say, I think if it’s known that you are helpfull expecting nothing in return, it rewards you in ways you’d never know.

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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