Garbage in Japan is a separate science. In Japan, entire islands are made from waste. Trash cans in Japan

Garbage collection and recycling in Japan is an art, a science, and a culture at the same time. Mountains of garbage near bus stops outside the city, landfills in ditches, garbage along the roads in Russia cause indignation, disgust - in short, anything but surprise. But the Japanese fans at the World Cup were surprised by cleaning up after themselves and others in the stands. To be fair, let’s say that not only our fellow citizens, but also many foreigners were amazed at the “cleanliness”. And... they began to do the same.

The Japanese themselves could not understand why others were so surprised by their desire for cleanliness. In Japan, garbage collection, recycling, and the profession of “garbage man” are considered prestigious and respected. But simply throwing something unnecessary into the trash is unthinkable for any Japanese. And even illegal. Empty containers must be washed, dried, and compactly placed in transparent bags of a certain type. Separately, food waste, hazardous waste, etc. The Japanese extract even non-ferrous metals and iron mainly from garbage. End-of-life players, mobile phones, TVs and other junk in Japan are not trash, but a valuable resource. Plastic is used to make new bottles, containers and even... clothes. The Japanese Olympic team uniform will be made from just such plastic waste. Almost all glass is recycled: light and dark bottles are again turned into containers, and colored glass is crushed and used for rubberized road surfaces and paving slabs.

“Japan’s experience in the field of waste management has developed over the years,” explains Marianna Kharlamova, head of the department of environmental monitoring and forecasting at RUDN, Candidate of Chemical Sciences. — Garbage must be divided into combustible, non-combustible, recyclable, and large-sized. Each fraction, separately packaged, is picked up strictly on the appointed day and time. Removal of bulky waste (TVs, refrigerators, furniture, etc.) is paid. You need to buy a recycling coupon, usually in a store that sells similar products. For violation of sorting rules, there are warnings, fines, and then the garbage is no longer collected. In Russia, separate collection is a voluntary action practiced mainly in large cities. Most often, plastic bottles, aluminum cans and paper are collected separately. Why? And there are options for their subsequent industrial processing. By the way, at the Faculty of Ecology of RUDN, such a collection system was organized by students 5 years ago. But... a garbage truck arrives and dumps all the sorted garbage into one bin. This discredits the very idea of separate collection! But we need at least a clear regulatory framework and economic interest of the population (for example, paid collection of waste fractions, as was the case in the USSR).”

But the Japanese fairy tale in the form of a waste-free society is nothing more than the Soviet experience adopted by the Japanese. Families collected waste paper and scrap metal, empty bottles, and schools and businesses competed on a recycling collection plan. These are the origins of the Japanese anti-garbage concept. Why was it safely buried here?

“The answer is simple,” continues M. Kharlamova, “there are no interested parties, because the processing industry is not well developed. But the main question is: who should pay for organizing collection and transportation? Obviously, the one who will make a profit is the processor.

For example, in Moscow and the region there is already competition in the collection of PET packaging. There is a struggle for filled containers, sometimes they are even stolen. This is because industrial processing of this type of waste has been established. Metal is also collected, and aluminum cans are generally a waste product that is in short supply! You won't find one at the training ground!

The problem is mainly with plastic packaging such as film, bags, polystyrene foam (food substrates), which are impossible or difficult to recycle, especially when they are contaminated with food waste. I believe that such packaging should be prohibited by law! No waste - no problem. Or the manufacturer’s financial responsibility for the disposal of such waste has been increased - whoever produces it should pay.”

And everything that cannot be recycled must be burned. Japanese waste incineration plants are high technology. Most of them are not furnaces, but treatment facilities. So the air and the environment do not suffer, and the gardens around the factories are fragrant. The energy generated during combustion is used to power the plant itself and other enterprises. And even the ashes are put to use - islands are poured out of it, where prestigious residential areas are built.

And in Japanese schools, cleaning classrooms and toilets is an integral part of education. From an early age, children are taught to take care of the cleanliness of common areas. As a result, in adult life, the Japanese follow the instilled habit of automatically cleaning up after themselves, no matter where they are - at home or at the stadium.

“I teach at the university, teach chemistry at school, and I can say for sure: until ecology becomes a compulsory school subject, like mathematics and the Russian language, we will have problems with waste and the environment! - says M. Kharlamova. “Environmental safety is no less important than the country’s defense!”

By the way, 97% of plastic is recycled in Norway. When buying drinks, Norwegians pay an additional 1 kroner per bottle. And when they return the empty bottle to the machine, it gives them the crown back. 1 bottle is recycled 12 times. Who pays for this? Manufacturers are exempt from taxes.

People who have been to Japan are surprised by the clean streets in a densely populated country. Half a century ago, there was a lot of garbage in the cities of the Land of the Rising Sun, but now everything has changed. Today it is clean and comfortable. How is waste recycling done in Japan? How do the authorities deal with garbage and keep the streets clean?

Features of waste recycling in Japan

In Japan, recycling occurs according to certain parameters. Recycling of industrial waste is the responsibility of industrial institutions, and the fight against household waste is the responsibility of the authorities. Unused furniture and equipment are also disposed of according to the prescribed scheme. It is planned to contact the manufacturer's company, and they are already dealing with this problem.

Disposing of waste yourself requires paying a tax. It is understood that if a person wants to throw away a non-working refrigerator, they will need to pay a fee and take the equipment to a specially designated place. Otherwise, without payment, a fine will be imposed.

Waste incineration plants

In Japan, only 5% of household waste is disposed of, the rest is sent for recycling. In this country, a large amount of MSW is subject to incineration, about 70 percent. Paper is also not all recycled, but only 65 percent. Everything else is sent to a waste processing plant, where it is also sorted depending on the type. Incinerators are built using modern technologies, and combustion occurs at a very high temperature. Thanks to this, they fight air pollution. And harmful substances are practically not released into the air, since there is a powerful filtration system. In addition to the fact that the plant destroys unnecessary products, it is also a producer of electricity.

Trash Islands

Another method through which waste is recycled is artificial islands. Such islands are relevant for Japan, since the country is small but has a large population. Therefore, some areas of the country, including prestigious ones, are built on ash residue after combustion.

Landfills

There are fewer and fewer burial places in Japan every year. Garbage is transported to neighboring municipalities. But even in provincial towns there is not much space left for landfills. That's why the Japanese try to burn more garbage.

Waste classification

The classification of unwanted goods in Japan depends on the region and on the requirements of the administration. They are mainly distributed into containers of three or four types. For non-combustible and incinerable waste, requiring recycling and bulky waste. Separate collection simplifies further distribution and disposal of waste.

Burnable waste

The following types of waste are incinerated:

Food.
Japanese snack wrappers.
Paper.
Dirty clothes.
Woody.
Rubber products.
Video cassettes, audio cassettes.

Non-combustible waste

Non-combustible waste bins “collect” the following:

Items of metal origin.
Ceramic waste.
Glass.
Electrical devices.

Waste for recycling

The following types are subject to secondary processing:

Metal cans.
Plastic bottles.
Glass bottles.
Packages.
Corrugated cardboard.
Magazines.
Newspapers.

Garbage sorting

Before solid waste is processed, it is sorted according to established parameters. In many areas of Japan, they practice collecting garbage by color. A certain type is in a package of a specially set color. In the capital of the land of the rising sun, until recently, this sorting method was also practiced. But now you can throw away food in transparent bags so that you can see what is where.

Waste packaging rules

The packaging of the discarded product differs depending on where you live. It is set by the local administration. But there are rules that will be the same for everyone.

Packaging of incinerable waste

Products that are subject to combustion are packaged in transparent bags. There should be no foreign liquid inside.

Packaging of non-combustible waste

Non-combustible products should also be packaged in a transparent bag. It should not contain organic contamination.

Packaging of recyclable waste

Recyclable items include bottles and cans, which should be washed before disposal. In some cities, cans made of aluminum and glass are packaged separately.

Paper is also sorted by humans: separately newspapers, cardboard and other types of waste paper.

Sometimes it is observed that caps from plastic bottles and the bottles themselves are packaged separately.

Bulky waste

Large goods include: household appliances, bicycles, furniture. This type has its own rules. Supermarkets sell special labels that should be placed on discarded products.

Where and when to throw it away?

In Japan, there are no bins where you can throw garbage at the time a person wants. Garbage is removed on certain days at designated times. It is during such periods of time that a person can get rid of spoiled goods. The schedule for removal is set by the district administration. Waste that is considered incinerable can be thrown out twice a week. Non-burnable and recyclable waste is removed once every seven days. You can get rid of paper once every two weeks.

On holidays, waste removal may occur on a different schedule, which is not usual for people. Therefore, on New Year’s and other holidays, you should check with the administration about how waste will be removed.

Recycling of waste

Non-combustible species are reused to produce other goods. Through waste recycling plants, old plastic bottles are made into new ones. They are also used for the production of sportswear, stationery, and polyethylene. Fabric waste is used to make new clothes. The same thing happens with glass and metal.

Parts that were in household and other appliances can be “reanimated” and used for new products.

Non-combustible waste, which is toxic to the environment, is exported to the neighboring Philippines. There they are subsequently buried.

Conclusion

The issue of recycling is taken seriously in Japan. There are practically no problems with pollution in the country at the moment. Decisions on export, processing, and export are decided at the state level. For non-compliance with waste management rules, a Japanese person is issued a fine. In each region there may be differences in the removal and sorting of waste, so when changing your place of residence, this issue should be clarified.

The Japanese attitude towards collecting and recycling waste is admirable. Few people in the world approach this issue so carefully. The Japanese can be understood: on an area of less than 400 thousand square meters, a careless approach to waste disposal will cost the country's population dearly. This country well remembers the critical situation with garbage in the 70-80s of the last century. In addition, the dire situation is visible in the Lebanese capital Beirut, where rivers have formed from bags of waste.

Garbage sorting

Every day in the land of the rising sun at least 1.5 million tons of household waste are produced.

Residents of Japanese cities take out their trash early in the morning, before the special service arrives. Waste is sorted depending on its origin. Glass bottles and glass objects, cans, cardboard, plastic bottles, etc. are stacked separately from each other.

A certain type of waste is removed only on specific days of the week: for example, items that are no longer suitable for everyday use, such as irons, incandescent lamps, kitchen utensils can be taken outside on the first and third Mondays, packaging plastic - on Thursday (in different areas of a particular city set their own days for the removal of a specific type of waste).

Failure to comply with the rules of “garbage” etiquette can not only result in a quarrel with your neighbors, but also get a fine. If recycling staff notice too many violations, a fine is imposed on the housing cooperative.

“High-tech” waste processing plants

Everything that can be recycled is returned to the economy in the form of goods. For example, polyester fiber is obtained from plastic bottles, suitable for the production of fabric. Used household appliances are carefully disassembled at special sites into plastic, glass, and metal, which are reused.

The rest of the waste goes to waste treatment plants. The largest plant is located on the shores of Tokyo Bay. The waste is melted in the furnaces of this plant at a temperature of about 1850 degrees. There is almost no smoke visible above the plant: the cleaning system occupies one of the central places in the production cycle.

Recycling waste is a profitable business: steam from water heated by stoves rotates a turbine that generates electricity. The daily rate of waste burned is 2 thousand tons. Roads are built from waste processed in furnaces, embankments and artificial islands are built.

Since the early 1980s, the environmental problem in Japan has taken a serious turn. The rapid growth of enterprises in a developing economy led to the fact that a relatively small territory of the country produced up to 450 million tons of garbage per year, much of which accumulated on roadsides, near residential buildings and in huge city landfills.

Now it’s hard to believe: the government’s efforts to combat waste have turned Japan into one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. Waste recycling in Japan has been successfully carried out for more than three decades.

Separate waste collection – the most important stage of preparation

A number of laws oblige citizens to collect and carefully sort waste, and failure to comply with the rules is strictly punishable. Waste disposal in Japan follows different schemes in most localities. In Tokyo, residents of all 23 districts use different systems. Of course, this causes certain difficulties not only for tourists, but also for the Japanese themselves who move to another city, where the rules for sorting waste may differ significantly.

The main stages of the process are quite similar throughout the country. There are trash cans on the streets, marked with special waste icons for which a particular container is intended. It is unacceptable to mix plastic, aluminum, glass, paper and fabrics; Packages and packages from food products, clothing, household appliances and electronics are collected separately.

Batteries, accumulators, and lighting devices are disposed of with extreme care. Depending on its origin, waste is removed in an organized manner once a week, month or even a year.

Disposal of non-recyclable waste

Special attention is paid to the recycling of computer equipment and household electrical appliances. Manufacturers are required by law to build special recycling plants where disused devices are transported. Consumers can mail unwanted items or pay for collection and transportation services when they need to drop off large equipment. Batteries, accumulators, and lighting devices are disposed of with extreme care, as they are hazardous to the environment.

The Vehicle Recycling Act requires original owners to purchase a recycling voucher. When reselling, the buyer not only pays for the car, but also reimburses the seller for the cost of the coupon. The last owner hands over the car along with the coupon to a special agent who is then responsible for disposing of the car.

Non-combustible waste that can be recycled is used to produce new products. At recycling plants, plastic bottles are turned into new ones, sportswear, office supplies, and plastic film. Clothing and fabrics become raw materials for new material; metal and glass products are melted down and reused. Household appliances are disassembled into parts depending on the material and re-sorted for subsequent recycling. Metal objects and parts are melted down.

Non-combustible waste, the recycling of which is impossible, and burning is harmful to the environment, is sent for export (most often to the Philippines). Such waste includes aerosols, batteries, toxic and hazardous waste. The waste is subsequently buried.

Only 20.8% of all waste produced in Japan is directly recycled. More than ⅔ of waste, including food and paper, is sent to incineration plants. Some of it undergoes special heat treatment instead of standard incineration: sorted garbage is suspended in a fluidized bed of air and ash streams, which significantly reduces the release of toxic substances into the atmosphere.

Islands made of garbage

An alternative method for processing MSW (municipal solid waste) – their use in construction. Benches made from recycled paper are often found at bus stops, glass dust is used in the production of roadside barriers and paving slabs, but the most interesting are the so-called garbage islands in Japan.

Recycled paper and ash left over from waste incineration are pressed into briquettes, which are subsequently laid into the foundations of artificial islands used for luxury housing, parks, metallurgical plants and airports. 249 square kilometers of Tokyo Bay are covered with recycled waste. Land prices in man-made areas made from recycled materials are many times higher than in conventional areas.

Waste recycling in Japan is showing amazing results. According to estimates by the Japanese Ministry of Environmental Protection, in 2018, each person in the country leaves on average 191 grams of waste less than 10 years ago, the vast majority of which is recycled and reused without harming the environment, which leads to a further reduction in waste generated. Every year the government allocates huge amounts of money to develop new effective measures for recycling and environmentally friendly waste processing.

Japan, due to its geographical location, began to solve the problem of waste recycling very first and a very long time ago, back in the 11th century. In 1031, paper began to be collected here and processed into new paper. By the way, the European world came to this only at the end of the 17th century, when industrial processing of paper waste began in 1690 near Philadelphia (USA).

Today Japan is creating islands from recycled waste, and the very issue of its collection and disposal has become a philosophy based on love for nature and is regulated at the legal level. Moreover, of course, there are uniform requirements throughout the country, but each municipality has its own characteristics and develops its own requirements for the collection, sorting and processing of solid waste.

Of the uniform requirements, of course, first of all, it is worth mentioning 4 categories of waste: combustible, non-combustible, processed into secondary raw materials and bulky waste. By the way, large-sized waste, on which special stickers are stuck, is removed upon special order and for a fee. To do this, you need to call the garbage collection company, make a request, after which you will be notified when the garbage truck will arrive. By the way, household appliances do not qualify as bulky waste. Basically this only applies to old furniture. And household appliances must be disposed of separately and also paid for this either to the store where you bought the equipment, or to the manufacturing company that disposes of this equipment. As a result, recycling of household appliances gives the country more than 1 million tons of iron and 50 thousand tons of non-ferrous metals per year .

There are also general rules for all types of garbage - it Packed in a transparent or translucent bag so that the garbage is clearly visible . Garbage is thrown out before 8.30 am; each municipality and each city district has its own garbage collection day. Moreover, for example, only combustible garbage is collected on Thursday, and non-combustible garbage is collected on Friday.

In particular, in the city of Kita-Kyushu, for example, packaging plastic is collected on Thursday, combustible garbage on Friday, and cans and bottles on Wednesday. And if you suddenly want to take out other garbage outside of the schedule, the workers servicing the garbage truck will not accept it, and if you leave the bags at the garbage truck, the entire housing cooperative will be fined. Fines in Japan are high – up to several hundred dollars.

Also in Japan, there are trash sorters in cities. This, first of all, accustoms guests to Japan to order: the holes in such trash cans are made in such a way that strictly defined garbage can be thrown into each sorter. If the sorter is intended for tetrapacks, then a plastic bottle simply cannot be squeezed in there. And to make it easier to understand which container to throw garbage into, all products that you purchase in stores in Japan have a hint marking that helps you understand where to throw the garbage. For example, on a jar of yoghurt it is indicated that the lid should be thrown into plastic waste, and the cup should be thrown into combustible waste, into which a lot of things end up. By the way, the Japanese today recycle 80% of their paper, but only a little more than 60% of it is recycled. The rest is incinerated, meaning 2/3 of Japan's total waste ends up in incinerators. And although the combustion of solid waste is considered unecological throughout the world, Japan, along with the United States, is an exception, since these countries use the most modern combustion technology - plasma gasification, in which tars are not formed by a plasma flow with a temperature of 1200ºC or higher, and toxic waste is destroyed. From 30 tons of garbage, 6 tons of ash ultimately remain, says EcoNet, which is then cleaned and used in construction. At the same time, the plant not only destroys garbage, but also generates electricity, which supplies city houses, bathhouses, and swimming pools.

When we talk about the garbage philosophy in Japan, we certainly mean that for the Japanese, recycling has become part of the fun. Parks are always set up near waste processing plants, excursions are conducted to the enterprises, and lectures are given to Japanese schoolchildren in specially equipped halls of the factories.

In addition, there are rehabilitation centers for the disabled.

After the garbage is burned, what remains is slag, which the Japanese use in construction. The slag is pressed into huge briquettes, from which houses and entire islands are built. The most famous of them is the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay, on which a luxury residential complex is located.

The Japanese also borrowed the idea from the United Arab Emirates, and as a result, Chubu International Airport and Kansai International Airport were built on artificial islands. In Tokyo Bay near Tokyo, where land prices are simply astronomical, 249 square kilometers of land were artificially filled.

But not all the garbage is burned - 17-18% goes for recycling. Bottles and even wall cladding are made from glass; sports uniforms, workwear and carpets are made from plastic.

And although Japan has solved its garbage problem by 90%, it still worries residents of the small island state. According to statistics, every Japanese person produces about 1 kg of garbage every day. Therefore, the Japanese are also learning from those around the world who are promoting the so-called “zero waste” program, the essence of which is not only to reduce waste as much as possible, but also the materials used.

In modern Japanese society, the idea of “mottainai” is spreading, the essence of which is: “Don’t throw it away until you’ve used it completely.” The word itself has ancient roots and is translated into Russian either as “wastefulness” or as “not good.”

Thus, writes EcoNet, in the town of Kamikatsu the government is introducing the idea of completely eliminating disposable goods. In 2003, the municipality began to actively implement a special structural reform aimed at reducing the number of disposable goods. The ultimate goal is to make the city completely waste-free by 2020. Now 60% of the population of Kamikatsu have chosen reusable products, which has significantly reduced the amount of waste. By the way, every merchant is required to report annually on what he personally has done to ensure that his customers are less likely to purchase, for example, plastic bags.

The Japanese love packaging; more than 30 billion bags are used in the country every year. But now the government has begun promoting their economical use: at the store entrance you can take a green token, which will let the seller know that the buyer does not need the package.

The mottainai principle applies not only to packaging, but also to all household products, EcoNet continues. It also follows the principles of Shintoism, the main religion of Japan. According to the concept of “mottainai”, all earthly blessings are given from above and it is a sin to waste anything unnecessarily, lose it or throw it away. . So those Japanese who do not want to ruin their karma try to be thrifty with goods and teach the younger generation to do this.

Japan has also taken up the task of processing foreign garbage that is brought to them... by the sea. This is approximately 150 thousand tons of garbage annually. The Ministry of Environment, which requested additional funds to capture and process waste (mainly plastic from Korea and China). While this is a budget expense item, Tsushima, for example, spends about 70 thousand dollars on this annually.

Of course, not everything is rosy in Japan when it comes to garbage. The law on solid waste disposal was adopted in the 90s of the 20th century, before that time, like everywhere else in the world, the Japanese polluted their own island of Teshima with toxic waste so much that they still don’t know what to do with it. In 1999, Japan was caught trying to send highly toxic waste under the guise of waste paper to the Philippines. The result was a scandal; the companies were supposed to take the garbage back, but they didn’t have time, so they ended up with heavy fines: 280 million yen (about 2.5 million dollars) down the drain.

Large cities like Tokyo and Nagoya still cannot solve the environmental problem, since even after burning garbage it is not known where to take the ash. While she is being transported across the country to the north and northeast of Honshu and Hokkaido.

There is another problem - there are more than 2 thousand waste processing plants in the country, but the Japanese themselves do not really want to work for them, despite the fact that most of the processes there are automated and robotic, the walls of many plants are made transparent so that the recycling process is visible , and the factories are designed by the most famous architects in Japan.

Island states solve waste disposal issues in their own way. To be sure, land-scarce Japan has 90% of its waste problem solved, but when it comes to recycling rates, Japan (20.8%) pales in comparison to other industrialized countries such as the Netherlands (51%) and Great Britain (39%), which we will talk about later.

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