[aeternum]

It builds a solution into the initial price. However it is often not the best solution especially as things change and once in-place, these are almost impossible to repeal due to the industries and special interests that build up around them. The ingrained solution can quickly become a net-negative.

A perfect example is ethanol. It's pretty clear especially by now that we would be better off investing in solar/wind and electric cars, but good luck getting rid of those ethanol subsidies and related legislation.

The recycling industry itself is another example. Now that China is no longer buying our recycling (due to the extreme air pollution generated when processing it), waste management companies don't know what to do with it and most are just dumping it in landfills. Of course we're still paying them to collect it and requiring everyone to continue sorting.