> The cost to our world from this behaviour is immense and it is quite frankly indefensible at this point.

This is just neurotic. On what margin is throwing away a microwave destroying the planet? It's not going into the ocean. We're not running out of steel. You have to prioritize things that matter here.

Recycling options for appliances are pretty poor everywhere you go. I live in a major city, and there's exactly 1 store for recycling electronics. It's 25-minute drive. I don't know why we don't have the infrastructure, but we don't, and that's what you'll have to solve.

Most 20-somethings these days would gladly recycle things if there was an easy way. Telling people to use their annoying/cheap/half-broken appliances forever for vague environmental guilt reasons is just not going to work, I'm sorry.