A potential "solution" is to price in the externality and tax the use of plastic in manufacturing. Then the market can decide whether it's "worth" using plastic for disposable water bottles or food wrapping.
We could, but then we should also tax everything else (e.g. glass bottles) based on objective criteria as there is no reason to single out plastic.
Perhaps these criteria could be based on the ease and cost of recycling, with a huge penalty if not recyclable and a bonus if biodegradable/compostable.
The money will be squander by the government and all that will happen is the poor people will get poorer. It's so easy to be like oh just tax it, and forget the guy who's scraping by can't afford another 10-25 cents more per thing they buy at dollar general because adding a tax to it tried to justify the plastic.
I refuse to buy into the idea that ecological destruction is benelovent because we couldn't otherwise support such a drastic level of poverty and inequality.
The same argument could be made for rainforest deforestation, saying it's a good thing because it's feeding the poor!
Nonsense, tax the externality and then give back and support the worst affected through taxation or aid if needed. Inequality is at a record high, perhaps it wouldn't be so high if we made everything more expensive and then taxed the rich to pay for it.
In the UK there have been effects, but it's too early to tell the full picture. Many drinks cut down their sugar content to avoid the tax and full-sugar drinks are often excluded from 'meal deals' (or the levy is explicity added, e.g. McDonalds' meals) so I would expect that people have be switching to diet versions in those cases. The Uk is pretty small so things can be changed at a whole country level more easily.
>another 10-25 cents more per thing they buy at dollar general because adding a tax to it tried to justify the plastic
In fairness, there is absolutely no way Dollar General is going to continue to source your product if it starts costing an extra 10-25 cents more per unit. You'd get cancelled quicker than your average Netflix Original.
If you think the Walmart process is bad behind the scenes, you definitely don't want to see how the Dollar General sausage is made. I'm pretty sure you could count on a switch to aluminum and paper containers in Dollar General fairly quickly.
They'd probably even market it as, "Eco Friendly".
