Recycling in Japan

As much as we say that diet and exercise is a lifestyle, after studying abroad in Japan, I have come to believe that recycling is just as much a lifestyle, as well. In fact, one of my biggest culture shocks was coming to know the extent to which Japanese people recycle. Though not directly related, my first impression if Japan was that of its nearly divine cleanliness. Tokyo, a metropolis even more crowded than New York, hardly had a paper straw wrapper littered on the ground. Also, due to a subway terrorist threat in 1995, nearly all public trash cans disappeared. Yet, the ground remained just as tidy. New York, though abundant in trash cans at every intersection, still has litter everywhere! When I visited Tsukiji market, the largest fish market in the world, miraculously the stench of dead fish was not present at all. I felt so spoiled when I came back from Japan and entered a small fish store in New York's Chinatown on a humid August day. I could not believe how anyone could take that smell and I am positive it has some neurological consequences. I say all this to illustrate the extent that Japan takes its cleanliness of the environment.

Now, going to Japan and marveling at his cleanliness is a luxury of the traveler, but upon arriving at my host family's house, I also became subjugated to these rules to help protect the environment - and these were not easy, as I grew up not thinking twice about putting everything except plastic, tin, or glass into one trash can. For starters, your standard vending machine Coke bottle had to be separated into three parts. One, the bottle itself. Two, the plastic label that wraps around the bottle. And three, the cap.

Another huge shocker. Of course, as part of my host family, I wanted to do all I could to help. I washed dishes, did laundry, and took out the trash. This sounds pretty average, but unlike in the US, where trash is picked up once a week, trash, where I lived in the outskirts of Kyoto, is picked up everyday. We mainly separated trash into three groups: burnable, non-burnable, and recyclables. Burnable trash mainly consists of food waste, which must be put into another plastic bag to keep out flies and other pests. Non-burnables were mainly plastic goods. And recyclables include bottles that are thoroughly washed to not attract pests.

Another difference that I noticed from living there was that trash was left out in clear plastic bags (not like black ones that we can find here). And they were not even put into trash cans. I later learned that trash bags are clear in Japan so that people can easily tell whether the trash has been sorted correctly. And when I say people - I mean everyone - neighbors, sanitation officials, joggers, etc. In essence, everyone becomes everyone's checker. If your trash bag is incorrectly sorted, it will not be picked up, and rumors will soon be circulating. And not unlike in the US, rumors spread fast.