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If there was a way to really do it, I would not mind a x% tax on items that use plastic. Plastics make our life easier, much easier, so we can afford to pa x% more to safely recycle it.

The money would be going to getting rid of it...not pork projects or paying for $400,000 pensions for civil servants.

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I think we could avoid an actual tax with an effective tax.

Container deposits such as bottles and cans have proven to be effective. It's worth exploring whether expanding the concept to cover materials in general would yield similar benefits. It wouldn't have to cost consumers anything more and it provides an incentive for the consumer to take on more responsibility for material and environmental stewardship.

In Norway we have variations on systems like this for tyres, electronic equipment and so on. Generally the manufacturer or importer pays into a fund that is supposed to pay for recycling of the product once it is scrapped. In addition shops that sell electronic goods have to accept scrap electronic goods (anyone's not just what they sold) for recycling. Petrol stations have public bins for recycling containers that contained toxic chemicals like screen wash, antifreeze, and oil.

Really it all just comes down to political will.

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