A new initiative encouraging people in Ibiza to repair rather than replace everyday objects is launching this month.

ReparaLab, developed by Ibiza & Formentera Preservation in collaboration with Fundació Deixalles, will create an open repair space where residents can bring damaged or worn household items, use available tools and receive technical guidance to help give them a second life.

The programme will run from September through December at Fundació Deixalles’ facilities in the Montecristo industrial estate, with four sessions planned for 2026.

Four ReparaLab sessions will take place before the end of the year

The first four sessions are scheduled for:

September 25
October 30
November 27
December 18

Each date will combine an open repair space with a separate themed workshop.

The open area, called ReparaLab: Tot, will operate from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and will be open without prior registration.

Participants can arrive with an object they would like to repair, use the available equipment and receive technical assistance while working on it.

The themed workshops focus on different repair skills

Alongside the open repair area, each session will include a more structured workshop running from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.

Unlike ReparaLab: Tot, these workshops require advance registration through info@ibizapreservation.org.

The first, on September 25, will focus on repairing and transforming clothing.

On October 30, participants will learn about repairing lamps.

The November 27 session will concentrate on furniture restoration.

The programme's final workshop on December 18 will focus on computers, with Amics de la Terra teaching participants how to update older equipment using free software in order to extend its useful life.

The idea is simple: repair before replacing

The project has been created around a problem that is familiar to many households.

An object may still have years of useful life left but be thrown away because professional repairs can be expensive, repair services can be difficult to find or people do not have the right tools or knowledge to fix the item themselves.

ReparaLab is intended to address some of those barriers by bringing together equipment, practical knowledge and technical guidance in one accessible space.

The aim is not simply to teach repair techniques, but to make repair a more realistic choice for residents.

Clothes, lamps, furniture and computers all get a place

The range of workshops reflects the broad definition of repair being used by the project.

The initiative begins with clothing, where participants will be able to learn techniques for repairing or transforming garments rather than discarding them.

It then moves into household equipment with lamps, furniture and finally computers.

The computer workshop is particularly focused on extending technological life through software updates rather than immediately replacing older devices.

ReparaLab: Tot is designed for everyday problems

The open repair space is the most flexible part of the programme.

Residents do not have to wait for a workshop covering their particular object.

They can bring an item of their choice to ReparaLab: Tot during the two-hour session and work on it using the available tools with technical support.

The format is deliberately designed to make small repairs more accessible to people who might otherwise decide that fixing something is too complicated or expensive.

Ibiza has a significant waste problem

The project comes as Ibiza continues to face pressure from rising waste generation.

According to data analysed by the Ibiza & Formentera Preservation Sustainability Observatory, Ibiza generated 655.5 kilograms of waste per person in 2024, around 14% above the Balearic Islands average of 563.7 kilograms.

The same analysis found that 97,518 tonnes of waste ended up in Ibiza's landfill in 2024, 11% more than the previous year.

The figures highlight why waste prevention is becoming an increasingly important part of the island's environmental strategy.

The landfill has also become part of the debate

The Sustainability Observatory has warned that, without a significant reduction in waste generation, the Ca na Putxa landfill could reach the end of its useful life before 2028.

That warning adds urgency to projects that focus on preventing waste before it reaches the treatment system.

Repair does not solve Ibiza's waste problem on its own, but it addresses an important point in the chain: keeping products and materials in use for longer before they become waste.

Repair sits at the top of the circular-economy approach

ReparaLab forms part of Ibiza & Formentera Preservation's wider circular-economy programme.

The programme promotes a model based on reducing consumption, reusing products, repairing them and recycling materials rather than following a linear pattern in which products are quickly purchased, used and discarded.

The distinction matters because recycling generally happens after an item has already reached the end of its useful life.

Repair and reuse aim to prevent that waste from being created in the first place.

Fundació Deixalles brings experience in reuse

Fundació Deixalles is partnering on the project because of its long-running work in waste prevention, reuse and social inclusion.

The organisation accepts reusable furniture, clothing and textiles, electrical appliances, toys, books, household items and other materials, with the aim of keeping usable products in circulation while creating social and employment opportunities.

That experience provides the repair initiative with a practical foundation beyond the workshops themselves.

Prevention is the focus, not just recycling

One of the central ideas behind the project is that the most effective waste is waste that never becomes waste.

ReparaLab therefore places prevention and repair ahead of disposal.

The initiative's organisers say the goal is to make repairing an attractive and accessible option again, particularly for objects that are still perfectly usable apart from a relatively minor fault.

A practical way to learn skills for home

The organisers also see ReparaLab as a community learning space.

Participants do not need to arrive as experienced repairers.

The combination of shared tools, technical guidance and practical work is intended to help residents build confidence and learn techniques they can potentially use again at home.

That makes the project educational as well as environmental.

The computer workshop takes a different approach

The December session is particularly interesting because it approaches repair from the software side.

Amics de la Terra will teach participants how to update computers using free software, helping older machines remain functional for longer instead of being discarded simply because they can no longer run newer systems effectively.

The session illustrates a wider point about product longevity: extending an object's useful life does not always require replacing physical components.

Sometimes maintenance or updating can be enough.

ReparaLab could continue into 2027

The four sessions scheduled for 2026 are being presented as the starting point for the project rather than a one-off event.

Ibiza & Formentera Preservation says it hopes to continue ReparaLab in 2027 and expand the programme with additional themes and activities.

That would give the initiative a chance to develop based on the types of objects and repairs residents bring to the open sessions.

A small repair can have a bigger environmental effect

Keeping one jacket, lamp, piece of furniture or computer in use for longer may seem like a relatively small action.

But at the scale of a whole community, extending product lifespans can reduce demand for new products and reduce the volume of discarded materials entering the waste system.

That is the principle behind the circular economy: resources remain in use for as long as possible rather than moving quickly from purchase to disposal.

The project also changes the way people think about consumption

Perhaps the most important part of ReparaLab is cultural rather than technical.

The project asks residents to consider a different question when something breaks.

Instead of immediately asking what to buy next, the first question becomes whether the existing item can be repaired.

That shift in behaviour is exactly what circular-economy initiatives are designed to encourage.

September 25 will launch the programme

The first ReparaLab session takes place on Friday, September 25 at Fundació Deixalles in Montecristo.

From 5:30pm to 7:30pm, ReparaLab: Tot will be open to residents without prior registration, allowing them to bring an everyday object and attempt a repair with technical support.

During the same afternoon, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, the first themed workshop will focus on repairing and transforming clothing. Registration is required for that workshop.

A different response to Ibiza's waste challenge

Ibiza's waste problem is often discussed in terms of recycling rates, landfill capacity and collection systems.

ReparaLab approaches the issue from a different point.

Instead of asking what happens to an object after it is thrown away, it asks whether the object needs to be thrown away at all.

That makes the project a practical example of waste prevention in action.

Giving everyday objects another chance

ReparaLab begins with four sessions, but its underlying idea is much broader.

A piece of clothing can be repaired. A lamp can be fixed. A chair can be restored. An old computer can be updated.

The project brings those possibilities into one public space where residents can learn, experiment and get help.

For Ibiza, where waste generation remains well above the regional average and landfill capacity is under pressure, making repair easier could be a small but meaningful step towards a more circular model of consumption.

ReparaLab arrives in Ibiza this September

The first session on September 25 will mark the beginning of a four-part programme continuing through December.

With an open repair space, themed workshops and technical guidance, ReparaLab is designed to make repair more accessible while encouraging residents to keep everyday products in use for longer.

The initiative may begin with clothes, lamps, furniture and computers, but its broader message is much simpler:

Before throwing something away, see whether it can be repaired.