Cars and soda cans
We supposedly speak the same language as the British, but you wouldn't know it reading an article about cars. We're stumped by talk of bonnets (hoods) and boots (trunks) -- are we talking about a saloon (sedan) or a baby? In the UK, filthy old cars are called bangers, whereas we call them beaters (or as I called my '87 Camry it its final years, a piece-of-sh*t no air-conditioning slow-breaking rustpile with the acceleration of a wheelchair). Anyway, these beater/bangers are a big problem in the UK because while it's illegal to dump them on the street, the mandatory recycling is about $90. From personal experience, I wouldn't have spent $90 on my broken old 'Yoda for a new windshield in its final days even if it meant I could get an extra month of use out of it.
While $90 to get rid of a car you can just as easily drive into a ditch is too expensive, tacking that fee on to the cost of a new car would add a cost far below the shipping, inventory, registration and other fees new car buyers also pay. In some U.S. states, soda purchasers pay a deposit on the bottles and cans, redeemable upon return. Why not charge $150 at the point of purchase, half of which is redeemable upon junking?
The transit angle: Many transit agencies have found that getting rid of old rolling stock poses unique problems due to the small market for old rail cars and the presence of asbestos fireproofing in some models. New York got rid of many old Redbirds by simply dumping them into the sea (to make artificial reefs), while Berlin sold their soiled stock to North Korea for use on their strange subway system.
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rj3 | 10:48 AM |
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london underground gets rid of their unwanted stock by dumping it on the isle of white. passengers there now travel on trains built in 1938 - before ww2!
While the $150 junk deposit is not a bad idea, the original buyer may not be the one junking the car. It could have many owners before then.
Also, the original buyer couldn't add $150 to the price of his used car because the car may only be worth $600 when being sold and will be hard pressed to get the $150 back.
Is bangers and mash an irish or english meal?
Well, I think the idea is that you pay $150 up front and get half back, with the rest paying for the recycling. And I think the market would automatically tack the $75 (or whatever it would be) to the price of any used vehicle since the new owner is guaranteed to recoup it by junking it or selling it again.
As for Bangers and Mash, it's English, I think... and delicious!
