Of Recycling

I recently learned that people were having problems with posting to the blog. I deleted the word verification feature and tested it myself to see if I could post as an anonymous user. There shouldn't be any further problems, but if there are, shoot me an email and I'll sort the issue out with Blogger.

The recycling situation here is pretty intense. In some ways, there's a huge push toward materials conservation. When you try to throw away your trash, you're normally faced with several options: Burnable garbage (food, paper, etc.), non-burnable garbage, plastic, bottles, cans, glass, and bento boxes. Since there are handy pictures on the outside of the bins, even if you don't understand the language, it's pretty easy to follow the rules. However, the at-home situation is far more complex.

I explained that I have a pile of plastic trash sitting in my room because it's not plastic day in a previous post. Depending on where you live, you'll recycle different things on different days. You may have to follow different procedures as well. For me, Monday is materials day. This means I recycle plastics, glass, etc. on this day. The items have to sorted properly, and labels on plastic bottles (called pet bottles here) need to be torn off.

Tuesday is my food waste day. Basically, burnable garbage day. Diapers, sticks and such can be thrown in here too. Wednesday is magazine, newspaper, and cardboard boxes day. These are supposed to be stacked nicely and tied up with a string. I don't own any string, so mine get put behind all of the ones with strings so they don't fly away.

Thursday is non-burnable garbage day. Glass, umbrellas, electronic items like hair dryers, cups, hairspray, etc. all get included in this day. The handy pamphlet shows a picture of a nice vase. I don't know who throws away vases with wonderful flower prints on them, but I want their trash. You can dispose of lightbulbs on this day as well. Friday is another burnable garbage/food waste day. If you want to dispose of something large like a fridge, vacuum, tv, computer, etc. you have to call up somebody to take it away. The normal garbage truck won't take it.

Why is Japan so recycling oriented? We could argue that it's because it's an island country and trying to conserve its resources. I actually think that it's because it's so wasteful with its resources though. If you buy a package of cookies like oreos, each and every one will be wrapped individually in plastic. If you buy a fridge, people will always tell you to buy a new one because the previously owned ones smell bad. The idea of cleaning these or using baking soda to absorb the smell is out of the question. Therefore, everything is labeled clearly so that it can be recycled.