[my_username_is_]

There is still a societal cost to producing plastic, even if it isn't turned in for recycling. The article draws a comparison to smoking, and to (loosely) extend the analogy this cost would be similar to second-hand smoke.

Some companies are starting to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of their products (Terracycle comes to mind, which helps companies reclaim and reuse their products at end-of-life). More businesses need to have this mindset if we are going to move towards a sustainable economy.

[paulmd]

> More businesses need to have this mindset if we are going to move towards a sustainable economy.

Capitalism says they won't. Consumers as a whole favor cheaper products over sustainable ones.

Regulation is how you solve that problem. Tax companies that use disposable packaging or don't manage their waste streams properly (however you define that) and they'll stop doing it.

Recycling has always been the feel-good system to shift the blame for disposable packaging from companies to consumers. The term "littering" was literally invented to do just that, just like "jaywalking" was a way to shift the blame for traffic problems to pedestrians.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/05/origins-anti-li...

[my_username_is_]

>Capitalism says they won't. Consumers as a whole favor cheaper products over sustainable ones.

I think we're seeing an increase of companies that are prioritizing sustainable practices, because both consumers and investors are demanding this. Not every company by any stretch of the imagination, but it's happening. See Blackrock's annual letter [1] for the investment side. One Percent for the Planet reports that Millennials are more willing to purchase products that have environmental or social benefits than the general public, which would suggest that this is a trend that's increasing[2].

>Regulation is how you solve that problem. Tax companies that use disposable packaging or don't manage their waste streams properly (however you define that) and they'll stop doing it.

Definitely agreed that this would solve things a lot quicker and more completely. But in the absence of fitting regulation, people need to decide to do the right thing within their companies and get progress started.

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/14/blackrocks-larry-fink-says-s... [2] https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/business-members