Louisa Pearson: 'Vague memories of using a needle and thread in school come flooding back'

We are all aware of the three Rs. If the words reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic just came to mind, go and stand in the corner. The Rs in question are reduce, reuse and recycle.

But the time has now arrived to embrace the fourth R: repair. As I write this, I am looking at a small packet of 12 household needles, intended for dressmaking and general sewing. It cost 80p and represents a world of opportunity.

I found them in the back of the local ironmongers, along with a bobbin of grey thread. Having ignored my favourite cardigan for months because of a burst seam, I finally decided to make an effort and enact a repair. Vague memories of using a needle and thread in second-year home economics classes came flooding back, and even if my woefully uneven stitching doesn't last long, at least I know that my ability to carry out everyday repairs has not completely vanished.

We have entered an era when repairing things is not always easy. First, lots of us don't have the skills or confidence to fix a leaky tap or mend a torn sleeve. Second, today's everyday household goods are so technologically advanced that only those with an engineering degree have a hope of fixing them. Then there's the cost factor – in many instances it's cheaper to replace your faulty item with a new model rather than pay for the spare parts and servicing.

While reading a 2007 House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report on waste reduction, I came across the wise words of Prof Tim Cooper, an expert in sustainable consumerism. He said: "The average household now spends 60p per week on repairs; it is virtually nothing. Take footwear – there was a time 40 years ago when a third of all spending on footwear was on repair work; those days have long gone."

How did we get into such a state? Well you can't hold back technology but if you're a global manufacturer you can certainly build 'planned obsolescence' into your products. After all, if you make a product that lasts a lifetime, your customers won't need to come back year after year to spend more money. Hence the rise of constant 'new models', in everything from mobile phones to handbags. Research by Prof Cooper found that 40 per cent of consumers rarely or never get appliances repaired. The reason? Cost. Labour costs where the new appliances are made are cheaper than in the UK where the costs to have someone do a repair are higher.

We seem to have gone from needles and thread to throwaway culture in the blink of an eye. I can't see everyone adopting a 'make do and mend' mindset, but if you've got the will, help is at hand. Evening classes in motorcycle maintenance, beginner's sewing skills and the like are all out there, while books like Mend It!: 400 Easy Repairs For Everyday Items by Sian Berry (16.99, Kyle Cathie) or If It's Broke, Fix It by Nick Harper (10, Michael O'Mara Books) help too. There are great websites – www.make-do-and-mend.org will take you from how to sew on a button to how to hem trousers and beyond, while www.fixya.com has "3,866,837 solutions to everyday product problems". So before you recycle, try repair. Even if you botch it, 'tis better to have tried and failed than to have gone straight to the shops to buy a new one.

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on June 12, 2011