Recycling in Japan
Japan is renowned for being one of the most successful countries in the world for recycling plastics. In 2011, the recycling rate in Japan was an astounding 78%. So how does Japan do it?
In Japan, several laws have been passed that requires both businesses and consumers to separate their plastic waste before deposing them. Ways to categorise the various types of plastic differs among municipalities. Some examples can be seen below!
As shown above, the categorisation in Japan is rather extensive. Unlike Singapore’s simpler recycling bins, these recycling bins requires consumers to separate their plastic waste according to the plastic identification codes. These codes are identified by a recycling logo with a number on the plastic itself. By getting consumers to separate the waste to more concise categories, recycling can be done in a more efficient manner. This helps to lower the cost of recycling by companies.
Another key point that made Japan so successful, I feel, in having such a high rate of recycling is the culture instilled upon them to recycle.
Recycling is heavily emphasised in their education system. Education on recycling in Japan starts as early as birth. As a result, recycling is considered to be necessary in Japan. Due to the social norms in Japan, not separating the waste is frowned upon. Failure to do so may actually provoke public reaction. In certain cases, the improperly sorted wasted will be branded with a red sticker of shame.
Image credits : en.rocketnews24.com
And that’s not all, they even included it for people who are interested in learning Japanese!
Finally, Japan has also come up with several initiatives to encourage recycling. For example, in supermarkets, recycling bins are placed next to the cash registers. There, you can remove the excess packaging associated with the product and recycle them on the spot. (Keep in mind that Japan has an over-packaging problem. :p)
Japan’s recycling rate has been increasing steadily since 1990s. Much credit can be given to their laws and initiatives set up to encourage businesses and consumers to recycle. We can learn from these policies to encourage recycling and promote a similar culture in Singapore.
Sources / Further reading:
http://www.pwmi.or.jp/ei/plastic_recycling_2013.pdf
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/dec/29/japan-leads-field-plastic-recycling
Post by Leroy Lim
Edited by Kai Yeat