<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/20/one-japanese-town-sorts-waste-into-40-different-categories-how-does-australias-recycling-compare>
"There’s no garbage truck in Kamikatsu.
Instead, the Japanese town’s 1,400 residents take their waste to the local
recycling centre, or “Gomi station”, and sort it themselves into more than 40
different categories.
There are collection bins for almost everything: toothbrushes, wooden
chopsticks, mirrors, mercury thermometers, button batteries, ballpoint pens and
disposable chopsticks. Reusable items go to the Kurukuru shop, where anyone can
take them home.
The ultimate goal is “zero waste” and the meticulous sorting contributes to an
80% recycling rate.
This mountainous town on the island of Shikoku may be an outlier but as
Victorians sort their waste into four kerbside bins – the most in Australia –
households in some countries regularly contend with five or 10 different
recycling streams.
Separating waste can improve the quality of recyclable materials and reduce
contamination but are more bins better for the environment?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
