Sorting trash in Japan · 2006-04-07 13:59 by Damian
Today is Friday, which in my city means burnable-day. Burnable, what’s that? -Burnable trash pickup day. Regardless of who you ask in Japan, they are probably going to have a more intimate knowledge about sorting trash than you thought possible. The reason for this is the unusually strict rules for trash handling.
Since Japan is a very crowded country (think half the population of the US on an area smaller than California…), naturally there has been huge problems disposing of all the trash produced. This is not exactly helped by the fact that a lot of stuff is packages in way too many layers. Anyway, to control the amount of waste and improve recycling, strict trash sorting rules are in effect.
Each city determines its own rules, and more often than not they’re very detailed. Spread thoughout this article are images of the various categories used in the city I live in. Quite a few eh?
Not only do you need to separate your trash into all the different categories, you can’t just put it out in a trashcan whenever you feel like it. For instance burnable waste, essentially everyday household garbage, leftover food etc., is collected twice a week. That means that twice a week, on the morning of the pickup, you should put your garbage at the nearest designated place, usually a nearby street corner.
If that sounded difficult, other categories are worse. The are typically only collected weekly or bi-weekly, and the dropoff point for those is usually further away.
Finally the day comes, you’ve gathered a bag full of plastic packages, and head off to the nearest garbage station. Don’t be surprised if you run into Mrs Tanaka of the Neighborhood Association who is taking her turn checking garbage. She’ll probably want to see your bag to make sure there’s nothing else than plastic in it. She’ll also make sure you have washed everything so there are no visible food remains on the plastic. If your bag-o-plastic is not up to spec, you’ll be sent home with your bag again, a big shame considering a lot of the neighborhood housewives are probably seeing this. Better luck next time.
Oops, forgot to mention – you can’t just put your trash in any old plastic bag you may have laying around. There are official bags for a lot of the categories, such as unburnable, paper packages, plastic packages etc. You’ll have to get those from a nearby supermarket. If not – no trash for you today.
While all of this may sound like a royal pain, it’s actually not that bad once you get used to it.
Also, once you’ve learned how to handle your trash properly you’ll start to see changes in how your neighbors look at you. A “konbanwa” from Mrs Tanaka, a smile from Mrs Nakamura on the corner. A gaijin that knows how to do handle the trash, “mezurashii ne”...
All of this may sound a bit humorous, but there’s actually a serious point to it. When you’re in a foreign country you will run into lots of things that seem a bit weird or don’t quite make sense. However, if you respect those things, you will be treated with respect in turn.
Remember, you’re the visitor.
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Learning Japanese, part 1 - the basics Stay away from rÅmaji!