If you burn your trash in the backyard in spite of regulations against it, then you are
A)acting economically irrational and creating a social cost.
B)avoiding the private costs associated with disposing your trash some other way and creating a social cost.
C)acting rationally and creating a positive externality.
D)saving landfill space and creating a social benefit.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Burning trash in the backyard may save the immediate cost of disposing of the trash through a regulated method like landfill or waste management services, but it creates a social cost. The smoke and pollutants generated from burning the trash can harm surrounding communities and the environment. This cost is not borne by the individual who burned the trash but by the society as a whole, which makes it a negative externality. Therefore, option B is the correct answer. The other options are not valid because burning trash creates a negative externality rather than a positive one, and it does not save landfill space as landfills are still required to manage the remaining waste.

If You Burn Your Trash in the Backyard in Spite