Thursday, May 12, 2005
PhD in Garbology
In my city, starting about 10 years ago, we have to separate our trash into 3 bins: one for "greens" (yard waste such as lawn clippings and for me, a lot of dead plants), another for recyclables (glass, aluminum, plastic and paper), and the third for other trash. If we have large cardboard pieces, we stack them next to the bins and the garbage man will pick them up separately. Once a year after Christmas, they make a special run for discarded Christmas trees, at least the ones that neighborhood kids haven't dragged back to their tree houses.
I am pretty proud to live in such an enlightened place. The greens are turned into compost, and the recyclables are re-sorted at the city garbage plant by type of material and recycled. Only the other trash goes to the landfill. Once in a while, I cheat and put a plastic bottle into the general trash, either because I feel lazy or rebellious, or because I have no idea if a particular kind of plastic is recyclable or not. Same thing for metal; is it really aluminum or some other metal? But generally I and most people stick to the rules because the city occasionally sends out a newsletter thanking us for helping recycle half of our garbage.
Now I read that the Japanese have once again put us to shame. The city of Yokohama recently doubled the number of garbage categories to 10; residents are given a 27-page booklet on how to sort their trash, including detailed instructions on 518 items. For example, lipstick tubes go into small metals or plastics but lipstick goes into burnables (Unrecycled trash is usually burned since land is too scarce to use as landfills). A kettle under 12 inches goes into small metals, but if larger goes into bulky refuse. Socks? If only one, it is burnable; a pair goes into used cloth, though only if the socks "are not torn, and the left and right sock match."
The small town of Kamikatsu goes one step further. They have 44 garbage classifications, for everything from egg cartons to tofu containers and disposable chopsticks. They are already recycling 80% of their trash, and want to reach 100% by the year 2020. To encourage compliance, the "other" trash has to be put in a clear plastic bag (recyclable, I hope) so your neighbors and the garbage man can see that you are not violating.
I was thinking to visit Japan this summer or next, but now I wonder. I am not sure I would pass their trash separating requirements. And I'm afraid I'd be spending all of my vacation time either counting socks and sorting garbage, or more likely, in jail for cheating.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 4:02 AM
