My Point of View: “Manufacturers, suck up the recycling costs" Part 2

Amber, a reader from Ottawa, provided a helpful Wikipedia link to the “polluter pays principle” in a comment yesterday.

I clicked and at the speed of hydro was introduced to a clear description, part of which reads:

In environmental law, the polluter pays principle is enacted to make the party responsible for producing pollution responsible for paying for the damage done to the natural environment. It is regarded as a regional custom because of the strong support it has received in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Community (EC) countries.

The polluter pays principle underpins environmental policy such as an ecotax, which, if enacted by government, deters and essentially reduces the emitting of greenhouse gas emissions.


[Too little recycling: photo link]

I wonder, do Canada and US recycle so little compared to some other countries because, for example, Europe has paid more for oil for years (little or no supply of their own), while N. Americans have been spoiled by (seemingly) excellent access and a belief in bottomless supply?

[Links to other categories related to Environmental law were also available on that Wikipedia page. E.G., Theory, Earth jurisprudence, Intergenerational equity, Precautionary principle, Public trust doctrine, Sustainable development]

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Or, are we just lazy in regard to recycling and reusing resources? And never had ‘conservation of resources’ drilled into our little round heads?

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