Before I start telling you about one of Kyoto’s waste management facilities, and recycling in Japan in general, I have a confession. Waste fascinates me! I have always wondered what happens to garbage bags after they leave my house. Where does this waste go? How is it handled? What does the future hold for it? From my perspective, this garbage bag doesn’t exist anymore, whereas in reality, it doesn’t just disappear, does it?
Waste disposal and recycling in Japan is very different compared to Israel. In many cities in Israel there are different garbage bins for different recyclable materials, such as paper, plastic, and so on. In contrast, the system of recycling in Japan works differently. There are specific days in which you’re supposed to dispose of your recyclable and non-recyclable waste. The garbage must be left in a designated area on the fixed day before 8am, then the local municipality takes it. For example, I need to put out my plastic waste every Wednesday morning. The requirements don’t end here– in Kyoto there are specific bags in which you dispose each and every kind of waste (yellow for burnable waste, and transparent for recyclables such as PET bottles, cans, plastic, etc.).
Regardless, neither Israel nor Japan can make waste disappear. It has to end up somewhere, recycled or not. While it is quite obvious where the burnable waste goes, where does the recycling in Japan end up? A few weeks agoI had the opportunity to follow the journey of Kyoto’s waste – sounds lovely, right? I found myself with other curious participants on a tour to Yasuda Sangyo Group’s waste management facilities.
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