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Japan Urges People To Recycle More

The Japanese government is calling for a 60% reduction in garbage, which could mean an end to the days of ridiculous over-packaging and disposable chopstick usage:

The Cabinet approved a set of plans Tuesday to promote a recycling society, said Tsuyoshi Kawakami, an official in charge of recycling at the Environment Ministry.

Japan aims to reduce the total amount of garbage _ produced by both industries and individuals _ by 60 percent of the fiscal 2000 level to 23 million metric tons (25.3 million tons) by fiscal 2015 under the plan posted on the ministry’s Web site. The fiscal year begins in April in Japan.

The government target for individuals was a reduction of 20 percent.

“We are still lacking efforts. We have not been able to break away from the mass consumption society,” Kawasaki said.

Shoppers in Japan normally receive multiple plastic and paper bags, while gifts are typically wrapped in elaborate packaging. Environmentalists criticize the wide use of disposable wooden chopsticks in the country.

For more on wooden chopsticks and recycling, here’s a France 24 news report video from 2007:

Have you ever used disposable chopsticks?

26 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - March 25, 2008 at 4:50 pm

Categories: General Japan Tags: environment, japan, news, recycling

The Overthinker

Disposable chopsticks, being made from cheap mass-produced pine, and being both burnable and biodegradable, are not the biggest issue. I have the suspicion that this will be dealt with not by reducing the amount of crap, but by collecting less and/or charging more to encourage people not to throw things out.

http://bonesworld-gooch.blogspot.com/ Bonesdog

Agreed. And as I saw recently pointed out on a discussion show, using them would actually be good ecologically for Japan if they were made here. They are usually made of leftovers from lumbering or scrub wood, producing them here would help keep forests healthier. However, doing so makes them more expensive than people want to pay (typical problem). So they are produced overseas, in places that think “slash and burn” is “normal”, and then shipped into Japan (generating greenhouse gasses).
kabocha5000

Yeah, I suppose the biggest environmental damage connected to disposable chopsticks is connected more to depletion of the resources where they come from than to their disposal by the country that ultimately uses them.
parkmount

Some Japanese carry reusable chopsticks with a carrying holder. They wash and put them back in the holder after using them. We, North American, could lick and stick them in our big nostrils to entertain ourselves.
sod

and the plastic/paper wrapping the chopsticks come in?

BaronVonSTFU

Maybe they wouldn’t have such terrible garbage problems if they didnt insist on individually wrapping EVERYTHING. How the hell am I supposed to eat a bag of cookies efficiently if each cookie has a damn wrapper on it? I just don’t bother buying them. Thats probably why Japanese are so much thinner than Americans

parkmount

You are absolutely right. People in the North America should have their hands tied whenever we eat. And grocery stores should not be open 24/7, but open just on Friday nights.
TokyoDevil

I wrote a short satirical piece about this problem:

Wrapped Up

Black TV screen. White superimposed text fades in accompanied by voiceover: “Installment 27 – Noriko’s story … ”

Fade out; cut to confident middle-aged woman in bright, modern middle-class living room, seated primly on comfy chair, face to camera

I remember being frozen in terror … I couldn’t function …

Black TV screen. Voiceover and superimposed text: “Terror … Anxiety … ”

Entertaining guests was cause for debilitating panic attacks … I was a veritable recluse.

Black TV screen. Voiceover/text: “Panic attacks … Veritable recluse … ”

I was heavily sedated most of the time … the children were bullied at school … Mother-in-law was running the household … I was (pause) ashamed.

Black TV screen. Voiceover/text: “Addiction … Dereliction … Shame … ”

All because of improperly packaged snack foods.

Cut to kitchen. Disheveled Noriko standing at crumb-littered counter arranging cookies on snack tray. Most are broken. Noriko desperately piecing together crushed chocolate chip cookie (cue Psycho shower scene soundtrack): Eyes red from crying, sweat dripping from brow, hands shaking, doorbell ringing, cookie crumbling … fade to black accompanied by inhuman howl …

Fade in to living room. Birds chirping, laughter, oohs and ahhs as Noriko moves confidently among similarly attired middle-aged women and one or two old ladies bearing a tray of individually wrapped cookies.
Cut to Noriko seated in comfy chair.

Embarrassed? Not in the least. (Closeup) Individually wrapped cookies restored my piece of mind.

Black TV screen. Voiceover/text: “Confidence … Serenity … ”

No more anxiety over germs … spoilage … or broken biscuits …

Black TV screen. Voiceover/text: “Hygienic … Economical … Reassuring … ”

But some people are critical of the packaging industry …

Cut to Noriko at kitchen counter opening box of cookies … opening inner foil wrapper … removing plastic tray from foil wrapper … removing individually wrapped cookies from plastic tray … arranging wrapped cookies on platter …

I share their concern for the environment. That’s why I take it upon myself to recycle …

Cut to Noriko dwarfed by mounds of bagged plastic refuse in backyard. Fade out. Fade in to Noriko in living room. Cute little girl runs up for a hug. Giggles …

Individually wrapped cookies – can you blame me?

Black TV screen. Voiceover/text: “Well?”

Black TV screen. Voiceover: “This series brought to you by the National Packaging Association.”

epicurus

Meh, most of my gomi is empty chu hai cans.
http://kdn wow

What about when you go to a coffee shop, ask for a cup to go, and THEY PUT IT IN A BAG!!! Talk about waste, you throw away the bag, the empty creamers, and empty sugars the minute you walk out the door.
hadji

Always with the plastic. There should be more incentives for using eco bags. Maybe they can make ones with LV logos on it because that demographic needs some serious education.

BTW, have been PET bottle free for over a month now and Im happy. (saves heaps of green too)

Underthinker

Maybe they could add a tax to all items purchased if you don’t have your own eco-friendly bag? Ouch, I think I put too much thought into that one. Brain hurt!
Joseph K

Many fashion stores are already jumping on the eco bag trend, actually. I suspect an LV bag isn’t too far around the corner, if it isn’t available already.

http://neilduckett.com Neil Duckett

I eat out every night and pretty much avoid the problem, except for a few beer cans and pet bottles.

The Overthinker

You throw out your PETs!? How cruel!

morningstar

Takes all of us around the world to reduce the amount of waste we throw out. no new taxes.
billski

Bring your chopsticks with you?

I’m here in North America. I carry a spoon and a fork in my pocket and use them in restaurants. But I’m the only one who does that I that I know of. I believe that I would be considered strange.
zaciroth

I hate the ones you have to break apart….I can’t eat with splintery hashi.
The Overthinker

I’m glad I don’t live where you do. Yikes.
Anyway, the reason for so much individual wrapping is so you can have a bowl of them for guests or the like, I would assume.
Underthinker

I don’t want to try and figure out why they have so much individual wrapping. It’s probably just for grandma and office candy bowls though.
The Overthinker

You should be able to drop plastic food trays (polystyrene etc) off at your local supermarket. My local Jusco has bins for that sort of thing. Which is why they want them washed.
The Overthinker

Hmm. Remind me not to move to where you are. My place just wants a wash – nothing about hot water or detergent.
The Overthinker

It’s all set by the local municipalities. I have friends living in an inaka town and they just chuck everything into two bags – burnable and non-burnable. Other areas require you to purchase special rubbish bags rather than re-use shopping bags like I can.
The Overthinker

Okay. Your mention of “Govt policy” made me think you meant the rubbish rules were govt. (ie national) policy.
The Overthinker

This is the fun of blog comments. From my POV, since the govt hasn’t actually done this yet, I was not expecting you to refer to it in what seemed to me like the past tense.
The Overthinker

Point Of View.

Japan Urges People To Recycle More

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