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Manufacturers should be the ones forced to take their products back. That way they (the only ones who can) will take the cost into account and design differentl

Manufacturers should be the ones forced to take their products back. That way they (the only ones who can) will take the cost into account and design differently. No more greedy planned obsolescence, no more flimsy crap that breaks in 10 days, no more cries about right to repair. The right incentive solves all the problems.

Aloha 9y ago
Does that apply to the guy selling a gallon of milk? Figure that consumer packaging for food, and products generates a ton more volume than a TV set does.
- erichurkman 9y ago
  You can buy milk in reusable glass milk bottles. Usually it's a buck deposit on the glass bottle. Return it to the store and you get the deposit back. When the milk company drops off a new shipment, they pick up crates of the empty glass bottles. It works well if you always remember to bring the bottles back.
  - djsumdog 9y ago
    Works in much of Europe. In Germany, every store that sells glass has to take it back. You see bottle machines at all the Aldis with scanners. It's mostly automated, and you can tell how old a beer bottle is by how deep the rings are (where the machine rolls it around to scan it).
    - BoorishBears 9y ago
      Just about everywhere in the US does this too (down to rolling the fan around, it’s actually a little fun to watch), but it’s not the same as what the parent is describing since those machines crush the glass to be recycled. I’m pretty sure the parent is describing reusing the bottles after reconditioning, which requires taking the bottles intact.
      - dfcowell 9y ago
        >and you can tell how old a beer bottle is by how deep the rings are (where the machine rolls it around to scan it). That's what the person you replied to is talking about. Here in Vietnam, like Germany, they refill used beer bottles. You can tell a new bottle from old based on the scuff marks the machinery leaves on the glass, which build up over time. These are the "rings" the GP is referring to.
        BoorishBears 9y ago
        I assumed the machines were like the ones here, that seem to go through an almost identical process, but crush the bottle as a final step. I’ve had an experience with a poorly recycled bottle in another country that turned me off the idea...
      - wheels 9y ago
        In Germany the bottles are reused, not just recycled. Specifically beer, soda and juice bottle shapes and sizes are standardized for reuse.
        WalterBright 9y ago
        Standardizing the shape is probably key to efficient reuse.
- WalterSear 9y ago
  Is it part of his business to make trash? Then yes.

Aloha 9y ago

Does that apply to the guy selling a gallon of milk? Figure that consumer packaging for food, and products generates a ton more volume than a TV set does.

erichurkman 9y ago
You can buy milk in reusable glass milk bottles. Usually it's a buck deposit on the glass bottle. Return it to the store and you get the deposit back. When the milk company drops off a new shipment, they pick up crates of the empty glass bottles. It works well if you always remember to bring the bottles back.
- djsumdog 9y ago
  Works in much of Europe. In Germany, every store that sells glass has to take it back. You see bottle machines at all the Aldis with scanners. It's mostly automated, and you can tell how old a beer bottle is by how deep the rings are (where the machine rolls it around to scan it).
  - BoorishBears 9y ago
    Just about everywhere in the US does this too (down to rolling the fan around, it’s actually a little fun to watch), but it’s not the same as what the parent is describing since those machines crush the glass to be recycled. I’m pretty sure the parent is describing reusing the bottles after reconditioning, which requires taking the bottles intact.
    - dfcowell 9y ago
      >and you can tell how old a beer bottle is by how deep the rings are (where the machine rolls it around to scan it). That's what the person you replied to is talking about. Here in Vietnam, like Germany, they refill used beer bottles. You can tell a new bottle from old based on the scuff marks the machinery leaves on the glass, which build up over time. These are the "rings" the GP is referring to.
      - BoorishBears 9y ago
        I assumed the machines were like the ones here, that seem to go through an almost identical process, but crush the bottle as a final step. I’ve had an experience with a poorly recycled bottle in another country that turned me off the idea...
    - wheels 9y ago
      In Germany the bottles are reused, not just recycled. Specifically beer, soda and juice bottle shapes and sizes are standardized for reuse.
      - WalterBright 9y ago
        Standardizing the shape is probably key to efficient reuse.
WalterSear 9y ago
Is it part of his business to make trash? Then yes.