The most absurd situation created by "a penny saved, a penny earned" is that many companies will spend the capital to buy pollution prevention equipment--like a waste water treatment facility--but then discover that operating it requires electricity, manpower, even chemical additives. So when night falls, and they know the inspectors won't come around, they turn the equipment off and dump their waste water out through pipes with no treatment system.
「能省則省」的最荒謬情形，是不少廠商花大錢做了汙染防治設備﹘﹘如廢水處理廠，但這些設備運轉起來要耗電、要人力、要添加化學藥劑，支出可觀；於是一到晚上，當查緝人員「盯」不到時，就讓這些設備閒置，另用暗管排放未經處理的廢水。