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If there was government regulations that mandate producers must also take back the waste. This should dramatically raise prices of disposables that consumers wi
by Joakal 8y ago
If there was government regulations that mandate producers must also take back the waste. This should dramatically raise prices of disposables that consumers will not like the price and lean towards cheaper products ie long term or sustainable ones. Producers would be very conscious to minimise waste.
Think of it akin to fees for externalised costs such as pollution (ie carbon fee/tax) but applied to all products.
- Swenrekcah 8y agoThis would be brilliant! Buy any product over $200 and 10kg? If it breaks within x years you repair it or if thats impossible/too hard, return it to a broken-shit-r-us where you get $20 and they turn around and charge the manufacturer full retail price as mandated by law. Should be incentive enough for easy repair design.
- TeMPOraL 8y agoI would love that. I can already imagine the manufacturer outlet going all, "please, PLEASE don't drop this on us; here, take this free complimentary toolbox and a set of spares, also our associate over there can make you that repair for free". One could only dream.
- kodablah 8y agoI would imagine this would disincentivize manufacturing in general giving consumers fewer options and the industry fewer players amongst which to innovate. It's a good way to entrench only those that can absorb losses though.
- TeMPOraL 8y agoThe demand would still be there, and so would the opportunity. The main difference would be that new players would have to build something serviceable. They wouldn't be able to crank out shit in the amount and pace of today, but that would be a great thing for the planet.
- Nasrudith 8y agoThe biggest problem I can see with that is bankruptcy - both natrual and liability dropping shenanigans. Perhaps some sort of deposit for a low overhead system? Granted buying trash only to repair it enough for the deposit and dump it leaves us at square one via a circutious even less efficient path.