'Moment of reckoning': US cities burn recyclables after China bans imports

Re:'Moment of reckoning': US cities burn recyclables after C... by NeedMoreTea on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @09:15AM (#19263316)

We could, but then industry might get together and form a littering organisation to reframe the problem into one of personal ethics and responsibility. Neatly making it nothing whatsoever to do with those that made the problem. Like they did in 1950-something forming Keep America Beautiful when one US state was encacting legislation to require deposit and reuse.

As we can see, it worked really well. The environment was saved, waste and littering are things of the past.

Some people still believe it's a grass roots organisation simply trying to improve the beauty of the country. Edit: founding members Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola

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Re:'Moment of reckoning': US cities burn recyclables after C... by Scoundreller on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @09:46AM (#19263529)

It will probably happen. Industry will get on board when they know they won’t have to pay back a lot of those deposits.

I’d prefer a straight tax instead so it goes into general revenue instead of bribing industry.

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Re:'Moment of reckoning': US cities burn recyclables after C... by NeedMoreTea on Wednesday February 27, 2019 @10:35AM (#19263838)

Thing is, unless industry are on the hook at both ends, they are incentivised to discourage, find ways around, or market against it.

So I'd prefer manufacturers responsible for every last cent of running a full-scale return and reuse programme. If that makes fizzy drinks more expensive, well, I'm not sure that's a bad thing either. Externalities are what started us on the way to this mess in the first place.

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