5. Economics of Reuse

Waste is a resource out of place.  A big enough pile of anything is worth something!

Follow up:

We should tax the makers of these products and not tax the consumer to dispose of them.  In Europe, manufacturers are obligated to take back their products when they no longer function.  This would encourage manufacturing with reusable components.  Now the cost of disposal is externalized for the manufacturer and picked up by the consumer.  It is a hidden cost.  This should change.

There is a Washington state law that now requires electronics manufacturers to take back their products when the customer no longer wants them and dispose of them properly.  A good first step, but there is a loop hole in the law. There is no requirement to do this domestically.  So they can ship these products overseas, where poor people disassemble the electronics and are exposed to toxics.