February 2011
Just wanted to pop this in while thinking about it (we're currently de-cluttering ready to move across the world, so this is relevant, but not chronologically necessary).
The rubbish collections here are remarkable. There are no public waste bins on the streets; everyone takes their garbage home with them. Roads and pavements are spotless. Absolutely no litter at all. People (usually women) go out early in the morning to sweep away any specks of dust that may have collected outside their home or shop.
Attention to detail is incredible.
In the autumn, they are out there almost constantly, sweeping away leaves.
I don't.
But I do have a waste disposal unit in the kitchen - aka the Kitchen Monster. It needs feeding regularly. I have no idea what happens to whatever goes down there, but it's pretty scary and extremely effective.
The only bins you will see are the bottle and can bins next to vending machines. And occasionally there are bins outside conbeni (convenience stores).
Oh yes, and cigarette "stations" with large, water-filled ash buckets where smokers congregate so their cigarette butts don't mess up the streets.
Signs at these stations show the Japanese view of litter. Although these signs indicate a bias against smokers, this is one of the few countries in the world where you can still smoke in a restaurant.
We don't have wheelie bins but use translucent white bin bags. They are translucent so the collectors can see if you're sticking to the rules. Each year, we are issued with a pamphlet showing how and when to put our rubbish out. If we don't comply, the bag is left behind for the whole neighbourhood to see!
On the relevant day, the refuse needs to be put out by 8am. You're not meant to leave the food waste overnight due to feral cats, giant Jungle crows and the occasional tanuki (google it!!) The bags then need to be covered with a blue nylon net to prevent these creatures getting in. However, the crows are very clever and I've seen one lift the corner of the net while his mates attack the thin bags with their enormous beaks.
Here are our Rubbish Recycling Rules: as you can see, almost everything has been accounted for.
Tuesday & Friday
Food waste
Paper scraps
Clothes
Flowers
Rubber
Leather
Dirty food containers
Dirty PET bottles (PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, the plastic from which they are made)
Cooking oil/fat
Plastic products that are not food containers or packaging
Wednesday
Plastic packaging
Clean food containers
Plastic tubes
Plastic bottles (not PET)
CD's
Videos
Toys
PET bottle lids
Wednesday in a separate bundle (has to be flat and bound with special tape or string)
Newspapers
Magazines
Cardboard
Paper packs (milk / juice cartons)
Thursday
Food tins
Drink cans / bottles
PET bottles – not lids
Saturday
Glass bottles
Ceramics
Pans
Lightbulbs
Small appliances
Razors, knives etc
When I lived in the UK we only had our rubbish collected every other week. Papers were also collected once a fortnight and the bin we had to put them in was about the size of a supermarket shopping basket. If we put out more paper recycling we had a visit from the council threatening to charge us "Business Rates"! Outrageous.
I think this puts the UK to shame.
