In Japan there are no trash cans on the streets, let alone dumpsters.. And yet the cities are very clean, you don't see a single piece of paper on the ground, and waste separation is at world record levels, so much so that the Japanese government wants to reach 100 per cent of waste by 2035. recycled plastic.
THERE ARE NO TRASH BINS OR DUMPSTERS IN JAPAN
Since there are no trash cans or bins, where do you throw away garbage in Japan? And how does the disposal chain work? The mechanism is very simple and works like clockwork. In all Japanese buildings there are spaces dedicated to rubbish collection, and in every city, garbage must be disposed of, 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 various apartment buildings. At this point, everything is ready for recycling. This is also because Japanese citizens are very careful not to leave garbage on the streets, starting with the cigarette butts (By the way, smoking on the streets is prohibited almost everywhere in Japan.) Another factor to keep in mind is that the elimination of trash cans in cities was also done for security reasons. More than once, they were 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 is Kamikatsu, on the island of Shikoku, Japan, where 2 thousand people live, all engaged in the collection with excellent results and very significant savings.
The Japanese mechanism is simple: no bins on the streets, no collection trucks, no garbage left in the streetsEach resident divides the garbage into 34 categories and makes his own composting. Once separated, the waste is then delivered to specific disposal and recovery centres., 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 has three major advantages. The first: the city is always clean, there's no traffic or nighttime disruption for garbage collection. Second: pollution has decreased, with one of the best environmental conditions in the entire country. Third: the municipality saves on the costs of garbage collection and disposal, and allows residents to save on garbage taxes. And it also offers lottery tickets with generous cash prizes. The solution is popular with nearly 70 percent of the population and could soon be implemented in other Japanese cities.
HOW TO DO WASTE SEPARATING PROPERLY:
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