In my household: My family has a routine method when it comes to recycling. Like most households, we separate our trash into bins depending on the material of the waste. For example, the red trash bin would be for food(organic) waste and the green would be plastics. We have been practicing this for a while now. However, my family also does something that perhaps only a few partake in. What most don’t know is that, albeit some, waste can be recycled at home instead of being discarded into the trash. My family tries our best to live by this principle. Whether it be by turning orange peels into orange peel candies with a simple and delicious recipe, or using used plastic bottles to make a variety of science demonstrations/experiments for kids in a nearby elementary school our actions, though admittedly small, aim to make the most of our scarce resources. 

Once our trash is separated we take waste down to the basement of our apartment where(again!) the trash is separated into different sections. Everyone in my building follows the “recycling rules” which is why the area where we store our waste is clean and easy for the government services to collect and sort later on. 

I love that everyone in Japan is committed to making the recycling process as efficient as possible. Seeing my neighbours bring down the trash in separate containers makes me happy as I know we are all doing our part. Furthermore, there is no incentive to do this. My neighbours, and myself, do it not for personal gain but for the greater good. That's what I admire most about my country and the forward-thinking people in Japan. 

Japan: This mindset permeates throughout the overall Japanese population. As previously stated, generally there are no incentives for recycling in Japan. Citizens simply do it for no personal gain. However, like many policies, there are some exceptions where a small bonus is offered when you go out of your way to recycle. As an example there is a recycling drive near my apartment called “gomi station” which is connected to a mall, which translates to trash station. There, citizens can return their used paper or plastic bottles and they will receive a store credit which can be redeemed later on at the adjacent store. 

Japan’s issue with recycling(and trash in general!):

Though, we try to reduce waste and actively take part in the recycling process Japan is notorious for our levels of waste. The majority of this waste comes from single–use plastics which have continued to be a staple in our daily lives. In convenience stores, or in the malls, and even with our famed vending machines, a form of single use plastics can be seen in the form of plastic bags or bottles. As a society, we do try our best. But we need to slowly shift in a direction that focuses more on green consciousness rather than being selective in what actions we plan to take.  

Side note about Recycling:

Lastly, its important to note that recycling is not the end all be all. While recycling does have a positive connotation attached to it(deservedly so) the impact of the actions is grossly magnified. It's a fact that the majority of our waste simply cannot be recycled. Rather, they get shipped off to countries in Asia to be dumped or incinerated. We have to be conscious about this, and start finding ways to mitigate waste.