What can we do to change the minds of decision makers and people in general to actually do something about preparing for the forthcoming economic/energy crises (the ones after this one!)?
Coca Cola wrote:a DRS scheme would “cause expense and inconvenience to consumers, particularly vulnerable people; damage business and existing recycling and anti-littering initiatives….. And increase carbon emissions and environmental impact.”
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
It seems such an innocent idea, but i have seen people using their car to take a wad of newspapers to the recycling bin, and then going home again. Net benefit to the planet I suspect is negative. for most people these bottles would go into the recycling bin. So where's the gain, given that many things don't work the way it was intended?
To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with. Cass Sunstein
You might be right. I would be interested in seeing an independent assessment of the relative merits. Sadly most people who do published assessments have some idea of the conclusions they will come to before they do the assessments.
Remelting single use plastic is just pissing into the wind and recycling is generally just window dressing. You can buy recycled plastic 'timber', but the fact that it costs more than dead trees shows that no gov gives a rats ass for the future. Until the supermarkets are forced to pass a 100% sales tax on any packaging that is not refillable, I won't be impressed.
fuzzy wrote:Until the supermarkets are forced to pass a 100% sales tax on any packaging that is not refillable, I won't be impressed.
That's more like it...but even small steps, like deposit schemes, are welcome.
But like you fuzzy, I'd be happy to see far more coercive schemes placed firmly on the shoulders of those responsible for waste.
Imagine a guy waving goodbye too yet another lorry-load of plastic bottles filled with water he gets for free, what a smile on his face at his almost 100% profit margin. Then imagine his face when another lorry comes back in the gates stuffed full of his (mixed up with others') empty bottles. Things would change.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
Here's another small but significant idea in the deposit scheme system. Germany and neighbours seem to be much better at using these ideas than certain other countries.
The city of Berlin is now preparing to attempt a great leap forward: soon, coffee consumers in Berlin will be able to enjoy their coffee-to-go from a refillable cup supplied by coffee retailers. You have to pay pay a deposit, which will be quickly and easily refundable when the cups are returned to participating retailers.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker
