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That has a) nothing to do with the topic at hand (improving recycling rates) anr b) isn't even effective. A deposit isn't a tax. You need to give the consumer m
by ascar 4y ago
That has a) nothing to do with the topic at hand (improving recycling rates) anr b) isn't even effective. A deposit isn't a tax. You need to give the consumer money for actually bringing the product to a recycling spot, so a tax doesn't help. Psychological it's a better motivator if that money was originally paid by the consumer as in you're losing money you paid, if you don't bring it back, and it's also much easier to implement.
If you want to tax non-replaceable batteries that will just be factored into the price and the thing is that easily replaceable batteries are in conflict with other design goals consumers are willing to pay for (like water proofness).
I understand the frustration with non-replaceable batteries creating some kind of planned obsolescence, but there is no easy solution without sacrificing other things.
- nemothekid 4y ago>You need to give the consumer money for actually bringing the product to a recycling spot, so a tax doesn't help. Where does the money come from that you are giving consumers for their batteries?
- dec0dedab0de 4y agoIt's a deposit just like how some states do for cans. You pay extra when you buy it, and when you bring it back to be recycled you get the money back
- nemothekid 4y agoI guess I'm not seeing how this is fundamentally different than a tax.
- dec0dedab0de 4y agoBecause you get it back. If anything, the state run deposit programs lose money from people returning cans from out of the state. But it doesn't even have to be state run. It could simply be mandated that the manufacturers buy back their old batteries for a minimum price.
- nemothekid 4y ago>If anything, the state run deposit programs lose money from people returning cans from out of the state. The state also loses money here, unless the cost of running this program is neligible. >But it doesn't even have to be state run. It could simply be mandated that the manufacturers buy back their old batteries for a minimum price. I'm not saying this is a bad program, but this still walks, talks, and quacks like a tax.
- this_was_posted 4y agoWait a minute. You mean you get five cents here and ten cents there. You could round up bottles here and run them out to Michigan for the difference.
- Gordonjcp 4y agoHave you ever hired a car before? You pay for the time you have the car, and you also pay a certain amount as a "deposit". This is money that the rental place keeps, and when you bring the car back undamaged they give you the deposit back. If you damage the car, you don't get your deposit back. This is the same idea. Buy a device with a battery, pay some small amount as a deposit, get your deposit back when you bring it back for recycling.
- nemothekid 4y agoSo when I go buy a device, I pay some extra amount, enforced by the state. I can then get that back (a deposit, or dare I say, refund), when I return the battery. I'm not saying I don't like the idea, but this is a tax with a different name. And we haven't even gotten to how someone pays for the infrastructure for all this battery cleanup.