We’ve heard many stories of individuals across the world who’ve adopted a zero-waste lifestyle, but it’s not often that we come across an entire community that is trying to become waste-free. The residents of Kamikatsu, Japan, take recycling so seriously that they actually hope to become the nation’s first zero-waste community by 2020.
A 5-minute video explores Japan’s Kamikatsu town which has been dubbed a ‘zero-waste town’ as it produces almost no waste. Around 80% of the garbage is recycled, reused or made into compost. Under the recycling programme which began in 2003, the residents sort their waste into 34 categories. Kamikatsu’s goal is to be 100% zero-waste by 2020.
Reuse is highly encouraged in Kamikatsu – they have a local kuru-kuru shop where residents can exchange used items with new things at no extra cost. And the kuru-kuru factory employs women to make bags, clothes, and stuffed dolls out of discarded items.
The town of 1,700 works together toward their zero waste goal. Each resident sorts their own trash and brings the cleaned and separated items to the local recycling center themselves. Initially people were understandably hesitant about the changes, yet now the tasks are a part of everyday life.
“If you get used to it, it becomes normal,” a Kamikatsu resident said in a video made by YouTube channel Seeker Stories. “It can be a pain, and at first we were opposed to the idea. Now I don’t think about it. It’s become natural to separate the trash correctly.”
