From March next year, Japan will name and shame those caught flouting rules on sorting and disposing of waste. The Municipal Corporation of Fukushima City on Tuesday (December 17) adopted new regulations under which garbage bags that do not comply with the separation rules will be opened to identify violators and, if they do not make the necessary changes, the names of such companies and individuals will be made public.
Japan has long been considered one of the cleanest countries in the world, with strict waste disposal policies. Despite its relative cleanliness, there were about 9,000 cases of non-compliant waste in Fukushima alone last year, prompting authorities to take action. Moreover, the daily amount of waste per person in fiscal year 2022 was 1.08 kilograms, which is higher than the national average of 880 grams.
“Through this initiative, we hope to somehow correct the current situation of improper waste disposal. We will work to promote thorough waste separation and reduce waste,” Fukushima Mayor Hiroshi Kohata told the Mainichi.
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Name on municipal website
In particular, authorities have established a multi-layered process to ensure that offenders are identified. Currently, garbage collectors place a yellow 'violation sticker' on garbage bags, but after a review of the policy, council workers will place a red “warning sticker” on the bags. If the waste remains unsorted for a week, workers will collect the bags and conduct an inspection to identify violators via mail and other items.
Violators then receive a verbal warning, followed by written advice, before finally having their names published on the municipal website.
Currently, more than half of Japan's 62 core cities conduct inspections when opening garbage bags, but the local government of Fukushima is the first to reveal the names of the violators.
“There is nothing illegal about publishing malicious waste producers who do not adhere to the rules and do not follow the city's guidelines and advisories,” authorities said when questioned about the violation of citizens' privacy.
Waste collection is taken very seriously in Japan, where the government has made it a national goal since the 1990s to move away from landfills, reduce waste and promote recycling. Last year, the city of Chiba introduced an AI assistant that helps residents dispose of their waste properly.