The problem of China's huge bike graveyards [video]

This is a failure of collection because buying new bikes is apparently cheaper than the cost of collecting and repairing existing bikes. [0]

It's reminiscent of glass bottle deposits in the USA and other places.[1] Should municipalities charge a mandatory $20 bike deposit? If nothing else, it would incentivize beggars and others looking for a quick buck - they could collect rogue bikes and return them for a deposit.

Not sure how to incentivize fixing bikes over replacing, short of a tax or regulation on new bikes. Especially in cultures where even cell phones and computers get replaced instead of fixed.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16964298

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_deposit_legislation

Related recent discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16961726