Being a "throw-away" society has come with great costs....from landfills to plastic islands in the oceans. It's time to go back to the basics and make appliances better and cheaper to repair.
It might make sense. First, it will require the redistribution of the technical intellectual potential in the US. Right now it is concentrated in R&D and in the manufacturing area. Appliances also should be designed for testability and repearibility. Now it is a quite neglected design consideration.
It seems to be cheaper to replace most electrical goods than to repair them. The labour costs are greater than the cost of most small appliances, such as kettles, toasters etc.
I can remember when cars were designed so that one could repair them, oneself.
Exactly. My 1979 Ford pickup was how I learned how to do all the maintenance and repairs myself. Contrast that with my current 2015 F-350 and I can't do anything but put air in the tires and replace the batteries.