Printing The NYT Costs Twice As Much As Sending Every Subscriber A Free Kindle

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

That was a stupid place to attach a recycling fee. It should be attached to the sale, not the manufacture of the device.

What's the difference. The price is paid by the consumer either way. Also, at the manufacturer it encourages them to use more green materials. I'm sure the fee is based on how green/recyclable the product is.

BOb

[ProfJulie]

I just dropped a 25 year old television off at a recycling center. They charged me $10 to take it and I was happy to pay it.

I think recycling costs should be shared between the manufacturer and the consumer...then the manufacturer is encouraged to make a greener product and the consumer is encouraged to use items for longer periods of time.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by ProfJulie

I think recycling costs should be shared between the manufacturer and the consumer...then the manufacturer is encouraged to make a greener product and the consumer is encouraged to use items for longer periods of time.

But using for example a TV longer can be bad for the environment since newer TV sets require less power. I remember seeing that this holds for a lot of products.

If a consumer have to pay at the time they get rid of something you will only get problem with people throwing away things in the wrong but free place. It is much better if the cost is included in the price for the item.

[Andybaby]

the costs would be distributed to the consumer anyway, so attaching it at manufacture makes sense, since taxes at POS arent collected always, and would be harder to manage anyway.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

What's the difference. The price is paid by the consumer either way. Also, at the manufacturer it encourages them to use more green materials. I'm sure the fee is based on how green/recyclable the product is.

BOb

Simple. Have you bought a car battery? Every time I've bought one I've been charged a $5 deposit. I get the money back when I trade in the old battery. I would expect a similar refundable deposit on electronics would encourage people to trade in the old one so it gets recycled. It doesn't cover the cost of recycling it, no, but that isn't the point. The point is the environmental damage. A refundable deposit keeps car batteries out of the landfill.

I have another reason why it is dumb to go after the manufacturers. What percentage of electronics sold in the US is made in the US? If a device isn't made here, then there won't be a fee to collect.