I have a simple suggestion. Watch your neighbors' trash. When you see
them throw various equipment away, take it home and take it apart. See
if you see signs of intentionally poor design, trying to save pennies
at the huge expense of the customer, etc. See how many interchangeable
parts you see, how well made is the mechanism etc. If anything, doing
so is fun and educational.

I agree! If only the garbage collectors were to "close the loop"
and somehow report what products are failing the most
(dare I suggest that RFID tagging stuff from cradle-to-grave
could supply such data?)

I buy plastic storage containers since cardboard boxes
tend to fall apart particularly when stacked.
But some brands are /so bad/ that they're cracked and broken
WHILE STILL IN THE STORE!

I'm all for recycling but I bow to the economics that
transportation and storage may exceed the value of what's reclaimed
(yes, I've seen Penn and Teller's BULL**** show about recycling)
but there's no checks-and-balances system to correct for stores
getting credit for entire boatloads of crap that can't (or won't) be fixed.
It's not just a matter of landfill and garbage handling,
it's a lack of accountability for the merchanise that's arriving on our shores.
--

-- mejeep deMeep ferret!