Some waste, scrap or by-product materials have little value. In fact, such materials represent liabilities for companies in that the materials require companies to incur significant disposal costs. Alternatively, some companies have historically found cheap ways to dispose of such materials. For example, on Friday April 2nd 1993, residents of Brazos County, Texas, U.S.A., stumbled across 19 cans of industrial waste that were scattered along the banks of the Navasota River. The cans were labelled lacquer thinner but the actual contents which were leaking into the ground and the river were not immediately known. The cans appeared to have been thrown from a vehicle travelling over on a nearby road. Some cans were heavily dented, some were capped with rags and all of them appeared to be scattered in a random pattern. State and county officials worked most of Saturday April 3rd 1993 cleaning up the site. Source: Chuck Squatriglia, Solvent Cans Dumped near Navasota River Bryan-College Station Eagle (April 4, 1993), p.A9. Courtesy: Bryan-College Station Eagle.

(i)Comment on whether this method of disposing of industrial waste is a cheap alternative. (ii) Briefly discuss the ethical and legal implications of disposing of industrial waste in this manner. (iii) What actions can people take to reduce these kinds of incidents? (iv) Ethically, what obligation does the vendor/manufacturer of these industrial materials have to the consumers and society as a whole.