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> We need to stop producing so much plastic. We need laws to standardize plastics so that only purely recyclable plastics exist and no more single-use plastics,
by dgzl 7y ago
> We need to stop producing so much plastic. We need laws to standardize plastics so that only purely recyclable plastics exist and no more single-use plastics, or compostable containers. Anything else should be banned.
Not necessarily disagreeing, but the cost of pretty much everything would go up significantly, along with the incentive to circumvent the regulations.
- fourier_mode 7y ago> cost of pretty much everything would go up significantly This just includes the short term costs.
- dgzl 7y agoYou're kidding yourself if you don't think these significant short-term costs can become significant long-term costs.
- fourier_mode 7y agoThe whole point of "these alternative solutions" is to compensate long term costs by increasing short term costs.
- ezrast 7y agoThe cost in dollars would go up significantly. The cost in dollars plus inflicted externalities would remain constant-ish, implementation failures notwithstanding.
- dgzl 7y agoThat cost in dollars could be enough to sink the middle class and everything under it.
- ezrast 7y agoThen the cost in externalities would do the same. That's the whole point of pricing in externalities: if the paper packaging becomes cheaper after you do it, that's because the plastic packaging actually is worse for the would-be dollar-saving population in the long run. Doing the pricing accurately relies on a bunch of projections we don't have, of course, but we can certainly do better than calling it all zero.