The Cleanest Garbage in the World

Here is a post I've been wanting to do for awhile now, but I just now got all the pictures together....for everyone who wondered what I was going to do with myself while were here.....the answer is "take out the garbage".

Recycling is mandatory here and it is pretty intense. There are about 11 categories into which you have to divide your garbage. Most of it is considered "recyclable", in which case you have to clean it before you throw it out and sometimes you even have to de-label it (like plastic bottles, for example). There are different days during the month in which you put different types of garbage on the curb (and everyone on your street puts it in the same spot). For example, every 1st and 3rd Monday is the day to put most of the recyclables on the curb. Sometimes it is a little hard to figure out where something goes, and we've seen some stuff on the curb that we were pretty sure was in the wrong place. I think it is even a little hard for the Japanese people sometimes....

As you can imagine, all this takes up some time and space. I am really glad we have a big house because we have plenty of cubby holes in which to shove our trash while we wait for the next designated day. Missing a day is really bad because you can end up an unwilling hoarder....I also had to buy about six trash cans (to go with the two that were here when we arrived) to keep it all straight.

my recyling shrine

Categories:

1. organic matter

2. glass

3. plastic wrapping

4. plastic bottles

5. hazardous materials (batteries, broken glass etc.)

6. cartons

7. cardboard

8. styrofoam

9. paper

10. aluminum cans

11. "mixed paper" (carbon paper, photo paper etc.)

at the curb you sort it into nets and bins