> There are cloth diapers, but they leak more than disposable diapers and cleaning them is less than pleasant.
> I have seen diaper services where you put out a bag full of dirty diapers every few days and they drop off fresh ones to replace them. My wife and I looked at them, but in the end they cost roughly twice what we would be spending on disposable diapers. Maybe our calculus would be different if trash pickup was more expensive.
I agree with you. I didn't say anything to the contrary. Perhaps it is for the best if people like me do not have any children. This is perhaps the most humane way of population control and therefore environment protection.
The point is diapers are already expensive for many people. We could continue to externalize the cost of disposing them like we do now or we can force people who have children to bear the cost. There are no right or wrong answers, just choices.
Previously, on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16761349
Similar question comes up when we discuss transit. Maybe I am in a bubble in this city but people seem to agree that public transit is something New York City (and surrounding areas) must push forward. Who pays for it though[1]?
[1] New Yorkers are famous for complaining about the city's subway: despite an ever-increasing rise in fares, service never seems to get any better. And even still, ticket-sales still only funds part of the New York City subway system; the city still relies on supplementary taxes and government grants to keep trains running, as fares only cover about 45 percent of the day-to-day operating costs. Capital costs (system expansions, upgrades, and repairs) are an entirely different question, and require more state and federal grants as well as capital market bonds. And New York’s system is not unique: as in other cities, New York struggles to pay existing expenses and must go into debt to pay for upgrades, that is, without raising prices.
from https://outline.com/UCsyRd