In Japan there are no garbage bins or wastebaskets

In Japan, there are no trash cans on the streets, much less dumpsters . Yet the cities are spotless, not a single piece of paper is visible on the ground, and recycling is at world-record levels, so much so that the Japanese government aims to reach 100% recycled plastic by 2035.

THERE ARE NO TRASH BINS OR DUMPSTERS IN JAPAN

Since there are no trash cans or dumpsters, where do you throw away garbage in Japan? And how does the disposal chain work? The mechanism is very simple and works like clockwork. All Japanese buildings have designated waste collection areas , and in every city, garbage must be deposited only in these areas, according to a specific collection and disposal schedule. You can't just leave a bag of garbage whenever and wherever you want.

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WASTE COLLECTION IN JAPAN

Garbage collection, effectively organized on a door-to-door basis, then proceeds with the collection of bags from the various apartment buildings. At this point, everything is ready for recycling. This is also because Japanese citizens are very careful not to leave trash on the streets, especially cigarette butts (moreover, smoking on the streets is prohibited almost everywhere in Japan). Another factor to keep in mind is that the elimination of trash cans in the city was also done for security reasons. More than once, they have been used to contain bombs planted by local terrorist organizations.

THE KAMIKATSU CASE

A small town in Japan is a model of good zero-waste governance . It's Kamikatsu , on the island of Shikoku, Japan, where 2 people live, all of whom are committed to recycling, with excellent results and significant savings.

The Japanese system is simple: no dumpsters on the streets, no collection trucks, no garbage left in the streets . Each resident separates their garbage into 34 categories and composts it themselves . Once sorted, the waste is then delivered to special disposal and recovery centers , true ecological islands. Organic waste, on the other hand, is transported to a local store, where it is washed and sorted for reuse.

MUNICIPALITIES WITH ZERO RIUFI IN JAPAN

Zero-waste community living offers three major advantages. First, the city is always clean , with no traffic or nighttime disruptions for garbage pickup. Second, pollution has decreased , resulting in one of the best environmental performances in the country. Third, the municipality saves on garbage pickup and disposal costs , and citizens also save on garbage taxes. And there are lottery tickets with generous cash prizes. The solution is popular with nearly 70 percent of the population and could soon be adopted in other Japanese cities.