Talk:Free good

I'm not happy with the classification here: is this really how free goods are classified in some particular economics text, and if so, which text? I'm sure there are other ways they could be classified, and this article ought to reflect a real academic consensus, or at least accurately describe the different academic views. --Lee Daniel Crocker


 * What is/are the other classifications? -- Sam


 * In deciding whether to classify reclaimed waste products as a free good, would the cost of recycling or reusing be a factor? I think there are some cases where sending a product to the landfill or other disposal facility is cheaper than the recycling costs, at least in terms of immediate cash expenditure. Wesley


 * Recycling, really, is a production process (or a re-production process, if you like; though that wouldn't be the right word..). It incurs costs, and so is not a free good. Even if there was no need to recycle, the process of production would incur costs (even if that process is one of consumption).


 * However, the recycling of air, for example, is a free process (until we kill all the trees). So air is usually considered a free good; it incurs no cost to the supplier. (But I could be wrong.) -- Sam