For example, if a state government can only purchase recycled paper, this alone creates a substantial market for recycled paper in that state. For example, requiring unconditional warranty on specified products for specified minimum periods would quickly result in design changes to increase product life. Manufacturers could be charged a fee to pay the administrative and enforcement costs of such a program. There is a precedent for this type of regulation in the federal energy efficiency standards set for certain home appliances. All governments could encourage product durability by including minimum warranty provisions in the purchasing specifications for their own purchases.
Regulations can require that products be made reusable.
An obvious example is beverage containers, which can be designed to be reusable. To work well, such deposits require that consumers be able to return used products easily, and an environmentally safe means of recycling or reusing the products must be developed. In principal, the product disposal tax is an excellent way to encourage manufacturers to produce smaller amounts of waste, and less-hazardous products. This would cause market forces to tend to drive pollution out of existence. There is no more powerful force than the market.