Yes, but I don’t think this is particularly controversial, perhaps just not widely known.
I think it’s more of the same strategy from polluters - privatise profits and socialise detriments.
If a government says to plastic producers “what can we do to help you minimise use of plastic” answers like “make straws and shopping bags illegal” are of course in their favor. They don’t cost producers anything to implement, and they make consumers feel like they’ve already done the “hard work” of solving plastic waste.
Of course a much better approach would be to tax products that include any kind of plastic, as that would have a meaningful impact but would ultimately cost producers as they pivot to other materials.
Yes, but I don’t think this is particularly controversial, perhaps just not widely known.
I think it’s more of the same strategy from polluters - privatise profits and socialise detriments.
If a government says to plastic producers “what can we do to help you minimise use of plastic” answers like “make straws and shopping bags illegal” are of course in their favor. They don’t cost producers anything to implement, and they make consumers feel like they’ve already done the “hard work” of solving plastic waste.
Of course a much better approach would be to tax products that include any kind of plastic, as that would have a meaningful impact but would ultimately cost producers as they pivot to other materials.