This is a long-term pet peeve for me.
Why should I be responsible for packaging? I have to separate the plastic from the cardboard, deal with impossible bubble wrap, wash out my jugs and expend extra gas to get it all to the recycling center.
Now if all these corporations were responsible for all the packaging they buy, wouldn't they be a bit more efficient about it? Why can't I take my jug of milk/juice/liquid bleach/ liquid laundry detergent/fabric softener/soda/bottled water/etc ad infinitum, back to the store to turn it in and fill a clean container with whatever liquid it is I want to buy from a big vat?
There are a gazillion reasons why the producers should be the recyclers rather than have us do all their work, and I hope you can help me come up with some of them after the fleur de' labour.
It's obviously a problem for capitalism. Unable to add utility or pragmatism or value or meaning or innovation, they have been reduced to offering us planned obsolescence, fancier packaging, increased advertising. Profits must increase or all is lost, and it appears they are only able to add vapor. Once you add a useless, counterproductive element like planned obsolescence into the mix, the economy must retain it, as it is part of the growth that got us to the place we are now. Remove it, and the economy will shrink.
They are running on empty. Innovation is not recognized because the 1% are into nepotism, their network. Even the movie industry is full of the offspring of former stars; leaving little or no room for native genius. They couldn't recognize it if their lives depended on it.
So they are all busy, repackaging into ever more elaborate packages, by which the truly conscientious are burdened daily.
Make the newspapers recycle their own newsprint. Make the packagers produce re-usable packages. Provide the easiest way possible for us to send the packaging back to the original user and profiteer of that packaging.
Only when we enforce such a rule will we get less energy expended on recycling perfectly good containers, and only when we impose responsibility on the producers will we get more easily recyclable packaging. Impose a law that forces these bloodsuckers to think for a change!
We are full of good conscience, and there are many of us following that conscience. But the truth is - we won't get change until it becomes practical for the producer.
We can start a movement. We can band together to send all the packages back, until they find a solution. Heaven help us, they are unimaginative dolts who think the way to make a profit is to move money around, rather than produce a tack.