Some more "garbage" talk

     Disposing your garbage is a serious matter in this country. Each prefecture have their own guidelines on how to dispose of your garbage. Pretty much though it entails segregating. For some, it may be really bothersome, but there's no other way around it. One must conform. In the Kaikan's (it's how we call the international house) you will find four garbage bins and two trays (one small and one big). One bin is for cans. You have to wash the can before putting it in the bin. Another is for plastic bottles or pet bottles as they call it. Before putting it in the bin you have to empty and clean the bottle, strip the label and remove the cap, which goes into the small tray. Another bin is for the glass bottles, or anything made of glass, I think. As for the bigger tray, that is where the milk and juice cartons go. Before putting it in the tray though you have to wash it and cut it. Scissors are there for this purpose. The fourth bin is where everything else, aside from the above mentioned, go. Everything else which are referred to as burnables would be food scraps, veggie and fruit peelings, tissue paper, plastic wrappers, etc. Plastic containers for soy sauce, fish sauce, catsup and other plastics not considered as pet bottles go into the same bin too.
     Batteries for flashlights, watches, cellphones, laptops, etc. go into a separate bin located at the lobby. And boxes, magazines, newspapers and other types of papers go into a separate area outside of the Kaikan.
     Yep, a little bothersome. But good. I've heard though that they are more strict in other areas. What's more interesting though is what these materials become after they are "processed" (i.e. recycled). But that will be in another post. ;-)

Properly labeled bins in the Kaikan's kitchen.