Hello everyone
This is Kes. Let me write about garbage sorting in Japan which confuses me (probably many of us) even after staying here for 3 years.
Getting your waste sorted is the very first manner we need to learn after arriving in Japan. We can hear many complains about Japan not having enough garbage cans and people end up carrying their trash back to their home. However, train stations, convenience stores, vending machines and universities’ and offices’ compounds have plenty of garbage cans. Generally, 4 major garbage cans are common: Combustible, Incombustible, Bottles/Cans and Pet bottles as shown in figure.
You may think now where the confusion is. Well, those combustible and incombustible sectors are the ones I always get confused. It’s true that paper and fabric products count as combustible. However, I have heard that paper and milk cartoons when washed actually count as recyclable wastes (is it incombustible one here?). Do the plastic spoons and forks go in combustible or incombustible? What actually goes into that incombustible can? Isn’t everything combustible when we increase the temperature?
I presented here just a small part of my confusion. Garbage sorting gets more complex while dealing with household garbage while each ward/prefecture having their own rules and regulations. Be careful!