Japanese city to name and shame people who break trash rules
For the uninitiated, sorting waste can be a complicated process in Japan, a country with one of the strictest waste disposal rules in the world.
But in Fukushima City, the situation will become more difficult.
Starting in March, the city will inspect non-compliant trash bags, such as those that are not properly sorted or exceed size limits, and in some cases publicly identify their owners.
The new rules, approved at a city meeting on Tuesday, come amid Japan’s long-running push to strengthen its waste management system.
While many cities in Japan open garbage bags for inspection, and some allow disclosure of violating companies, Fukushima is believed to be the first city to plan to disclose the names of individuals and companies.
The Fukushima Prefecture’s Waste Reduction Promotion Department said in a statement to the BBC that previously improperly disposed garbage had resulted in scattered garbage and an infestation of crows.
“Improper waste disposal is a major problem as it worsens the living environment of local residents,” the department said.
The department added that waste that is not sorted correctly can also lead to more waste going to landfill, “which places a burden on future generations”.
“So we think waste sorting is very important.”
Last year, more than 9,000 cases of non-compliant garbage were reported in Fukushima.
Currently, staff typically do not collect garbage that does not comply with disposal regulations, but instead put stickers on garbage bags to notify residents of violations. Residents then have to bring them back indoors, re-sort them, and hope that the next time the collector comes, they’ll be ready.
Under Fukushima Prefecture’s new rules, if trash isn’t sorted within a week, city staff can inspect it and try to identify violators through items such as mail. Violators will receive a verbal warning, then a written warning, and finally as a last resort: having their names published on a government website.
Due to privacy concerns, Fukushima authorities said garbage inspections would be conducted privately.
Each city in Japan has its own garbage disposal guidelines. In Fukushima, garbage bags must be placed at collection points by 0830 hours every morning, but cannot be left out the night before.
Different types of waste – divided into combustibles, non-combustibles and recyclables – are collected according to different schedules.
For items that exceed the specified size, such as household appliances and furniture, residents must make an appointment to collect them separately.
Fukushima Prefecture Mayor Hiroshi Obata said the new regulations aim to promote waste reduction and proper disposal methods.
“There is nothing illegal in promoting malicious waste generators who do not follow the rules and comply with council guidance and advice,” the Daily News quoted authorities as saying.
Japan takes waste very seriously, and since the 1990s, the Japanese government has made it a national goal to eliminate landfills, reduce waste, and promote recycling. Local authorities have launched their own initiatives in line with this aim.
Residents of the Japanese town of Kamikatsu have an ambitious zero-waste goal and proudly sort their waste into 45 categories. Kagoshima Prefecture forces residents to write their names on garbage bags. Last year, Chiba City piloted an artificial intelligence assistant to help residents properly dispose of garbage.
