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Have you ever wondered how the streets of Japan manage to stay so clean? Where are the every day loiters? If you want to learn a real thing or two about keeping the streets in your city clean, you should try spending some time in Japan and see how things are done.
You will be walking down the street and see a Japanese stop to pick up an empty packaging that they didn't use. This packaging they will either take with them or dispose of it in the nearest trash bin. I have actually seen this happen. From a young age, Japanese are taught that they are responsible for the cleanliness of their surroundings. This is evident in the education system where instead of hiring janitors, students and teachers are responsible for the cleaning of the school and its environs.
You will also notice that there are hardly any trash bins around Japanese cities and wonder why. This is just their way of forcing you to take your garbage with you. You will mostly find bins at convenience stores or vending machines, and partly because of this, most Japanese will devour what they buy at the convenience store or at the vending machine right there and then. (Sidenote: Japanese also don't practice eating while walking.) These bins, however, are usually for recyclable garbage.
Japan is very serious about recycling and reusing. This is so serious that the residents are all required and expected to sort their garbage (ゴミ, gomi) according to instructions given as well as put out the correct type of garbage on the specified days. The garbage is divided into three categories which are combustible garbage, non-combustible garbage and recyclable garbage.
It is important to note that every city across Japan has its own rules and schedules. As such, persons, foreigners especially, have to learn how things are done in their city. My city has these schedules available in both Japanese and English; I assume that other cities do too. Some cities also sell specific garbages bags to be used for disposal. I am happy that my area doesn't have that; that is an added expense that I can do without. I usually recycle the plastic bags that I get after shopping.
If one fails to put out the correct garbage on the correct day, then such incorrect garbage placement will be left for the crows to do with as they please, if your area is troubled by crows or until the correct day arrives. And especially as the foreigner, you don't want to be the one putting out garbage on a wrong day - your Japanese neighbours will know it is you and trust me, some Japanese can be very passive aggressive.
I read of an instance where a foreigner (belonging to an online group that I am apart of) came home to find her garbage all ripped and laying in front of her apartment, which is quite a distance from the disposal area. She wasn't sure why her garbage was taken and placed in front of her place, but you get the picture.
As you can tell, recycling is a big thing here in Japan but in the same breathe, I think that "extra garbage" is being produced unnecessarily. Take into account this small container of chips seen in the picture below.
I opened the carton expecting to get directly to the chips only to be met with an unnecessary packaging as seen above- like "really Japan, how about we play scavenger hunt with a container of chips???" I think a simple seal would have been easier and better if freshness was their concern.
I was also fearful of opening that packaging as knowing Japan, there is the possibility of the chips being in a clear plastic on the inside. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Oh boy.
Mind you, there are some things that are worthy of being packaged with the extra packaging. For example, these face masks and heating pads which are very useful.
The face masks being individually packaged makes it easy to carry around a few instead of the entire package. Plus with the extra layer of packaging, they are kept clean and free from dust. While, for the heating pads, once exposed to the air, they start heating up so it is good that they are individually packaged. So in those instances, I can deal with the extra packaging.
I understand that presentation is important but so is producing less garbage. Isn't that the whole point of recycling? This isn't the first time I've had these thoughts; they appear ever so often as everything is wrapped separately here in Japan.
Two other examples of Japanese wasteful packaging (according to my judgment) can be seen below:
- Bought a pack of stockings which consisted of five stockings. Each stocking was packaged "heavily" with plastic and thin pieces of cardboard. So at the end of the day, I had 6 pieces of cardboard and 6 pieces of plastic to dispose of. I am sure there is something that can be done to curb the amount of waste created in this instance.
- Bought a bottle of mayonnaise that is placed in a plastic that has ABSOLUTELY no use or purpose, and that will be disposed of the moment you decide to use the mayonnaise. I have seen where persons keep the bottle in the plastic even after opening the product. I guess so it is easy to identify what is in the bottle. But, ain't nobody got time for that.
I notice that other products such as sauces and ketchup are also packaged like this. A simple solution would be to just put a label on the bottle like everyone else but nooooo, Japan has to make unnecessary waste....that is the aim of their production, I assume.
Sometimes, the thought of having to go through so much packaging makes me not want to buy certain things. But, it is what it is. I can only hope that a chance will come sometime in the near future.
Recycle just to create more waste.........Japan's solution to world pollution???
What are you doing to help curb the production of waste?
Reduce . Reuse . Recycle . Repeat
Thank you for taking the time to read my diary. It is a pleasure sharing my thoughts with you.
Hi honeysim,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
@curie....thank you so much. I am absolutely flabbergasted and elated to have been considered worthy of sharing with your Curie community curation project. I will check out what this entails. Thank you again. Your kind act is very much appreciated.
Nice write up and good point, I’ll
be more concious of the unnecessaries, dud t even realize that lol.
Thanks mate.... Yeah, the small things do count and do add up eventually. Thanks for choosing to do your part.
Congratulations @honeysim!
Your post was mentioned in the Steemit Hit Parade for newcomers in the following category:
I also upvoted your post to increase its reward
If you like my work to promote newcomers and give them more visibility on Steemit, consider to vote for my witness!
Aww, thank you very much @arcange for the highlight. It is very much appreciated. I will check out your project.
Your post was featured by @freedomshift in the pay it forward (pifc) curation contest.
Congratulation on your @curie and your #7 rank with @arcange Steemit Hit Parade for newcomers
Thank you @wolfhart....it is always a great feeling to be supported by my fellow steemians.
well.. now I know why the japanese supporters clean the football stadion after the match on last Worl Cup even in Russia. so They're taught about to keep the environment clean but at the same time also create more waste through its packages of everything..LOL. But there's always two side of story, right?
When I read about how they're going to reuse the gold metal from used phone as the gold medal on Olympic Games next year, I thought it is a great ideas, but they need to collect the used phone from all over the world I guess, but I appreciate that idea, wish that they will get the used phone from Indonesia too.
thanks for sharing this with us @honeysim, found your post through @freedomshift pay it forward entry post this week and congratulations for curie picking too!
Youre so right @cicisaja, I totally forgot about the World Cup clean up but yup...that is where all of that is coming from. It is a part of who they are and try to continue being. Like everything else in life, there is always room for improvement.
I didnt know about the gold medal thing but that is a great idea. Going to try doing some reading about that.
As always, thank you very much for the support and love. Mwah
Excellent article! I was in Tokyo this year and I loved it. It's a pity that it's so far away from here.
I have found your article through @freedomshift's post in the Pay It Forward Contest
Thank you @trincowski. I am happy you enjoyed the post. I have visited Tokyo on business but am yet to fully explore Tokyo. Even with all the hustle and bustle, it is definitely a city that I hope to explore in the near future.
Thank you for stopping by.
I've been to Japan with my friends about two years ago and I have seen most of those practices that you mentioned. In a nutshell, I believe it all boils down to self-discipline. How I wish every nation would have rhis kind of mindset and discipline.
You are so right my dear....self discipline is what many of us lack. But we can at least try to do better.
Yes, I really hope everyone will try and do their own part to be better. 😊
Yaaaas! You got a Curie! Whooo!
Lol, yes, I did, didn’t I. It is an awesome feeling.
Okay past the Curie excitement and I have actually read the post...
Every time you post I want to move to Japan a little bit more haha. I don't have any pictures currently or I'd share them but, its so dirty here! I'm not even in a bad area for it, the big cities like New York are just riddled with trash from what I hear, but... I see trash everywhere. Even in the forest.
I get strange looks sometimes, and am told that "You're not a janitor" or "It's someone else's job to do that" which just makes me more angry. I do my best to avoid litter, scold others for littering, or pick stuff up and I know there's more out there like me in the States but, sadly, that just isn't the culture here :(
Yup, that is what is wrong with the world....and you would think that with all the save our world campaign that exist people would be more mindful of their contributions to the destruction of the earth.....everyone is all about self (it isn’t my job to do this or to do that) not realizing that in the end all of this is going to affect us ALL.....whether we want it to or not. I can definitely say that this is one of the things that I truly appreciate with the Japanese, their sense of unity and caring for others.....they are a society that says group before self.....though this may have it downfalls at times. nevertheless, their act of selflessness is to be applauded. Thanks for the continued support @accio, you are truly a gem.
Awe thanks, I hope to in the next couple of years come and see it for myself! Some friends and I are discussing the possibility of a group pilgrimage to Taisekiji Temple.
Aaaww that sounds awesome...so much to see and to explore. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you guys...hehe
Congratulations on the curie vote @honeysim and for being featured by freedomshift in our pay it forward curation contest!
Thank you very much @lynncoyle. A time to be proud of myself. :-)
Yes, that's so true @honeysim, time to be proud 😅