Fri Dec 29, 2017 12:05 PM

Moved to WordsFromRob blog.

Capitialist critics sometimes talk about moving from a capitalist economy based on scarcity to a new kind of economy built upon automation and abundance, while providing basic income or other economic proposals to reduce inequality.

I saw the word “abundance” in opposition to scarcity, and an environmental red flag popped up in my mind. If robots are producing more while goods are getting cheaper and everyone has more, then that will probably mean there will be more garbage. As if we weren’t producing too much already. I’m hopeful that in the future, there will be robots that use mass spectrometry meters and object recognition to sort trash into recyclables, compost, toxic chemicals, plastics, e-waste, and leftover garbage. E-waste components can be cut apart with lasers and sorted into bins for their valuable elements.

I think it’s past due for companies that produce goods to also be taxed for the garbage that they create. Garbage should no longer be considered an economic externality paid for by the public. Taxes could vary based on how easy it is to separate, recyclability or compostability, toxic components, and decomposition period.

If automated recycling and garbage taxes aren’t added to the new economy, scaling up the automation of production is going to make garbage problems much worse.

---

ADVERTISEMENT: Copy your Facebook videos into your WordPress blog