Properties of minimal charts and their applications IV: Loops

We investigate minimal charts with loops, a simple closed curve consisting of edges of label $m$ containing exactly one white vertex. We shall show that there does not exist any loop in a minimal chart with exactly seven white vertices in this paper.Comment: 34 pages, 28 figure

An Economic Analysis of the Packaging Waste Recovery Note System in the UK

In order to cope with the increasing scarcity of final dump sites for household wastes, the UK recently introduced an environmental policy targeted at the firms that produce and sell products that generate packaging wastes. This policy requires such businesses to hold predetermined numbers of tradable credits called gPackaging waste Recovery Notesh (PRNs). This article provides insights into the economic implications of such a policy through a simple analytical model of a recyclable product and the PRN markets. Our analysis yield two particularly interesting results. First, an increase in the required recycling rate dampens the output and landfill waste levels, while the effect on the level of recycling activities is ambiguous. Second, an increase in the landfill tax always leads to an increase in the landfill waste. We also discuss how the socially optimal landfill tax in the presence of the PRN market should be chosen.PRNs, Recycling, Landfill Tax, Comparative Statics

Economic Instruments and Resource Use in a Recyclable Product Market

By constructing a static model of a recyclable product market where the product can be manufactured by using both a recycled material and a harvested natural resource, we examine how different types of economic policy instruments affect resource harvesting activities of individual producers. In particular, we show that an increase in a recycling subsidy for consumers and an increase in a waste disposal fee on consumers can respectively lead to an increase in the resource harvest level. We explore the conditions under which these economic instruments are likely to backfire in terms of natural resource conservation.