Wednesday, January 31, 2007

In Addendum to "Garbage"

Perhaps a tax on ratio of packaging to product would be sufficient to force some to stumble across potent yet slim packaging?

So, for example:

A chocolate bar would have a reasonably stated 1:1 ratio (Im basing this on surface area, with proper allocations for product weight, product fragility, product structure. Could there be a base tax on the products "NeedValue"? A tv is in the want category, upping its tax, while a bag of wheat is in the need category, negating it from the tax...)

An MP3 player would have a 8:1 ratio;



Toilet Paper a 1:1 ratio;

Cereals (bulk or large scale) a 1:1 ratio;


New software a 12:1 ratio;


...and a refund or tax deduction for companies that are able to promote package free products, establishing a greater emphasis on local, small scale products? Such as local produce, paper (ouch- I hate to say it), and so on, being cheapre than that attained from further detinations reguiring much more packaging (among other eco-costs). Does this ram heads directly with NAFTA and similar trade discourse, or is it just simply a glancing defelection? Not sure.


Reducing waste, increasing reuseability of the package, making it out of a compostable product (for domestic consumptive products...?). I can see an outdated oil-patch worker being gainfully employed in such research pursuits.

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