Re:Plastic-eating caterpillars: An escape from a shopping ba...
by ZeroGravitas on Thursday November 09, 2017 @10:30AM
(#15663192)
Just because something is cheaper, or more profitable, doesn't make it the right thing to do. You'd ideally include externalties that are not captured by the price.
To give one related example, just dumping your trash in the street is cheaper than paying people to come and haul it away but no one seems to make the argument all about cost in that case.
Particularly in the US, propaganda campaigns against the entire concept of recycling seem to have been very succesful. Often these are pushed by libertarians and you can trace the funding back to the Koch brothers who (entirely coincidentally of course) are invested in companies that supply the virgin feedstock materials to make new plastic bags or whatever.
They've also spend millions on anti-EV and anti-solar campaigns two other rival industries where their product is only "better" if you totally ignore externalities.
To give one related example, just dumping your trash in the street is cheaper than paying people to come and haul it away but no one seems to make the argument all about cost in that case.
Particularly in the US, propaganda campaigns against the entire concept of recycling seem to have been very succesful. Often these are pushed by libertarians and you can trace the funding back to the Koch brothers who (entirely coincidentally of course) are invested in companies that supply the virgin feedstock materials to make new plastic bags or whatever.
They've also spend millions on anti-EV and anti-solar campaigns two other rival industries where their product is only "better" if you totally ignore externalities.