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Garbage in Japan

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Re: Garbage in Japan

#31

Post by theultdev »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #4
snackbroken wrote: post #2

TL;DR: Japan doesn't have ubiquitous public garbage cans - you are expected to take your garbage with you until get home.

It's more than that. Kids are expected to clean their schools, even the bathrooms. Not surprisingly, this nurtures an attitude of not messing it up in the first place.

Tokyo is trashed before it's cleaned in the morning.

Ever go out at 3am? Rats and trash everywhere.

Squeaky clean by morning though, their cleaners are amazing.

Lack of trash cans is because of sarin attacks, nothing else.

So they just put the trash in the street.

Re: Garbage in Japan

#32

Post by theultdev »

tekla wrote: post #6

Its amazing how different the culture is. I don't even think twice about carrying garbage on me, but when I recommend Americans to just carry their garbage until they can toss it, I might as well have insulted their mother. Apparently the view is that if society wanted them to keep the earth clean, they would have set out more garbage cans.

It's not a culture thing. They had trash cans. Until the sarin attacks.

Now people in Japan just put their trash in the streets. It piles up and early in the morning everything is cleaned.

Re: Garbage in Japan

#33

Post by mitthrowaway2 »

wenc wrote: post #19
tomwheeler wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a tourist, I didn't realize what a commitment I was making when I bought a snack from a vending machine one morning. I had to carry around the empty wrapper until I got back to my hotel room that night.

Trick: there is almost always a garbage can next to a vending machine, and there are many vending machines in Japan. Caveat: some of those garbage cans are for can recycling only. But there is often another one for garbage like food wrappers.

In my recent experience it's very rare to find anything other than recycling bins next to vending machines in Japan.

Buying a snack really is a big commitment, which is unfortunate because of how tasty they are.

Re: Garbage in Japan

#34

Post by mitthrowaway2 »

johnnyanmac wrote: post #20
dcrazy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The interior of food packaging is often soiled by the food it previously contained. I don’t want to transfer that soil to my pocket or my backpack.

Ehh. Unless you're eating a melted candy bar, you probably accumulate more dirt and sweat going through your day than whatever few crumbs leak into your pockets.

Japanese ice cream bars are really good though. As are mitarashi dango. It's a tough choice. You basically have to carry a sealable bag with you.

Re: Garbage in Japan

#35

Post by presentation »

mitthrowaway2 wrote: post #33
wenc wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trick: there is almost always a garbage can next to a vending machine, and there are many vending machines in Japan. Caveat: some of those garbage cans are for can recycling only. But there is often another one for garbage like food wrappers.

In my recent experience it's very rare to find anything other than recycling bins next to vending machines in Japan. Buying a snack really is a big commitment, which is unfortunate because of how tasty they are.

That said the inverse problem in the USA is that there are practically no public toilets and if you find one it’s probably disgusting. I find that a much bigger inconvenience than needing to carry some garbage around!

Re: Garbage in Japan

#36

Post by mitthrowaway2 »

theultdev wrote: post #32
tekla wrote: post #6

Its amazing how different the culture is. I don't even think twice about carrying garbage on me, but when I recommend Americans to just carry their garbage until they can toss it, I might as well have insulted their mother. Apparently the view is that if society wanted them to keep the earth clean, they would have set out more garbage cans.

It's not a culture thing. They had trash cans. Until the sarin attacks. Now people in Japan just put their trash in the streets. It piles up and early in the morning everything is cleaned.

They don't put their trash in the streets except for garbage pickup day. That's not related to the removal of public garbage cans (which, yes, was a reaction to the sarin gas attacks). It's more of a substitute for dumpsters.

Re: Garbage in Japan

#37

Post by presentation »

theultdev wrote: post #31
bryanlarsen wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more than that. Kids are expected to clean their schools, even the bathrooms. Not surprisingly, this nurtures an attitude of not messing it up in the first place.

Tokyo is trashed before it's cleaned in the morning. Ever go out at 3am? Rats and trash everywhere. Squeaky clean by morning though, their cleaners are amazing. Lack of trash cans is because of sarin attacks, nothing else. So they just put the trash in the street.

That’s only true specifically in nightlife districts in the most central parts of Tokyo, once you get drunk enough all social convention goes out the window

Re: Garbage in Japan

#38

Post by mitthrowaway2 »

presentation wrote: post #35
mitthrowaway2 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my recent experience it's very rare to find anything other than recycling bins next to vending machines in Japan. Buying a snack really is a big commitment, which is unfortunate because of how tasty they are.

That said the inverse problem in the USA is that there are practically no public toilets and if you find one it’s probably disgusting. I find that a much bigger inconvenience than needing to carry some garbage around!

I fully agree.

Interestingly they have similar dynamics: due to the scarcity of that public resource, the cost of providing it becomes very high, which causes it to become more scarce. In the US, a business providing a public washroom has to deal with very heavy usage, because of how rare they are, which makes maintenance expensive. They become the bathroom for the whole neighborhood. In Japan, businesses can offer clean high quality washrooms at little cost because there are many others sharing the load. But a convenience store offering a garbage bin in a popular area will quickly find it overloaded.

This creates a feedback loop where scarcity drives further scarcity.

Re: Garbage in Japan

#40

Post by dododr22 »

tekla wrote: post #6

Its amazing how different the culture is. I don't even think twice about carrying garbage on me, but when I recommend Americans to just carry their garbage until they can toss it, I might as well have insulted their mother. Apparently the view is that if society wanted them to keep the earth clean, they would have set out more garbage cans.

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