How This Town Produces No Trash
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In 2003, the local government in Kamikatsu, Japan decided to require that all residents comply with a new, rigorous recycling program - perhaps the most rigorous in the world.
Since then, the town composts, recycles, or reuses 80% of its garbage. It may not technically be 100% zero waste, as the remaining 20% goes into the landfill, but it's a remarkable achievement for an entire community, in such a short amount of time. The impacts have been positive - cutting costs for the community drastically, as well as improving the conditions of the lush and beautiful environment that surrounds the town in Southeast Japan.
Residents must wash and sort virtually anything that is non-compostable in their household before bringing it to the recycling sorting center. Shampoo bottles, caps, cans, razors, styrofoam meat trays, water bottles...the list goes on and on (literally) into 34 categories. At the sorting center, labels on each bin indicate the recycling process for that specific item - how it will be recycled, what it will become, and how much that process can cost (or even earn). It's an education process for the consumer.
All kitchen scraps must be composted at home, as the town has no garbage trucks or collectors.
And as for other items, reuse is heavily encouraged. According to Akira Sakano, Deputy Chief Officer at Zero Waste Academy in Kamikatsu, the town has a kuru-kuru shop where residents can bring in used items and take things home for free. There is also a kuru-kuru factory, where local women make bags and clothes out of discarded items.
At first, it was difficult to be come accustomed to the new rules. It can be a pain, and at first we were opposed to the idea, says resident, Hatsue Katayama. If you get used to it, it becomes normal.
Now, it's even being noticed within Kamikatsu's businesses. The first zero-waste brewery has opened in Kamikatsu, called Rise and Win Brewery. The brewery itself is constructed of reused materials and environmentally friendly finishes. By 2020, Kamikatsu hopes to be 100% zero waste, with no use of landfills, and to forge connections with other like-minded communities in the world, spreading the practice of zero-waste.
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Executive Producer: Laura Ling
Producer: Paige Keipper (Hansen)
Cinematographer: Irene Carolina Herrera
Editor: Lee Mould
How San Francisco Is Becoming A Zero Waste City
To watch the next episode about how Lauren Singer fit 2 years of trash in a single jar, click here:
According to the EPA, the national recycling rate in the U.S. is only about 34%. That means most of our solid waste goes to landfills and incinerators - including recyclable items like paper, glass, metal and plastic. Massive amounts of food waste that can be composted is clogging landfills, creating dangerous greenhouse gases. Many cities are starting to tackle this problem by implementing policies to help curb the waste by recycling and composting more. It's known as the zero waste movement, and San Francisco is on the forefront. Other cities that have zero waste goals include Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Austin, and Oakland. But San Francisco has been the most aggressive. In 2009 the board of supervisors passed an ordinance requiring all residents and business to recycle and compost their waste, making it the first American city to make composting mandatory. Its goal is to achieve zero waste by 2020, and it has diverted 80% of its waste from landfills so far. Now the city is getting attention from all around the world. Government officials from China, Italy, France, Denmark, India and many other countries have visited San Francisco's state of the art recycling and composting facilities in hopes of learning how to replicate its success.
For more on San Francisco's Zero Waste plan:
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Executive Producer: Laura Ling
Producer: Pam Torno
Cinematographers: Matthew Piniol, Spencer Snider
Editor: Lee Mould
Kamikatsu, the Zero Waste city in Japan
Kamikatsu was the first city in Japan to start a Zero Waste program back in 2003. Look at what they achieved in 2016.
Where are the trash cans in Japan???
Japan has a very unique etiquette towards trash: there are virtually NO public trash cans anywhere in the country. So what is a traveler to do throw away their trash? Carry a plastic bag with you to carry your trash around and bring it back to your hotel. Or, wait until you find a convenience store or train station and throw your trash away there.
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Naples Italy - The City of Trash!
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Old city of Wakimachi (Tokushima, Shikoku) - Where the Udatsu rise
A visit of Wakimachi in Tokushima (Shikoku) and its famous ancient merchant houses with udatsu.
Learn more on Wakimachi:
En apprendre plsu sur Wakimachi :
Recycling in Japan (Can't be that hard right?!)
Recycling in Japan
Recycling in Japan is a huge part of life here and it must be done right but with these recycling stations, it makes it a bit easier for us foreigners to recycle without the pressure of others looking at us and judging us.
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棚田百選 Kamikatsu Terraced Rice Fields 徳島県上勝町の棚田
For a real taste of rural Japan, head out to Kamikatsu. Located south and west of Tokushima city,
Kamikatsu is a very peaceful and relaxing part of Japan. Kamikatsu is famous for it's terraced rice fields, and waterfalls.
棚田百選に選ばれた徳島県上勝町の棚田、鳥のさえずりを聞きながらの景色は最高です。
LONGSHENG - Rice Terraces / Reisterrassen - CHINA
Longsheng liegt in der Gebirgsregion ungefähr 115 km nordöstlich von Guilin. Die Reisterrassen von Longsheng wurden in der Yuan Dynastie ( ungefähr vor 800 Jahren ) angelegt. Das Zhuang Dorf auf dem Berg bietet Ihnen eine gute Gelegenheit, die Gebräuche und Sitten der Nationen Minderheit kennenzulernen. Es gibt 10 ethnische Gruppen in Longsheng, einschließlich Han, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong und andere.
Snowfall in Tokushima City
Pretty excited to see snowfall. Filmed in front of Joto Junior High
How Ubud Looks Like ? Come See yourself. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
The town of Ubud, in the uplands of Bali, Indonesia, is known as a center for traditional crafts and dance. The surrounding Ubud District’s rainforest and terraced rice paddies, dotted with Hindu temples and shrines, are among Bali’s most famous landscapes. Ancient holy sites include the intricately carved Goa Gajah (“Elephant Cave”) and Gunung Kawi, with its rock-cut shrines.
Thanks to youtube for the amazing sound track.