TRASH TALK

Throwing garbage is definitely not a simple thing here in Yokohama. Believe me. Before, and back home, it was "biogradables" and "non-biodegradables". And people then kinda complained about segregation because they had to buy additional trash cans and of course, they had to always be aware which bin to throw the trash in. And then after that, it became "paper", "plastic", and "metal". And I thought that was it. But nuh-uh. There was also "wet" trash and "food scraps". Okay, I could handle that.

When I got to Yokohama, it was an entirely new ballgame. Really. Not only do they have the paper, plastic, metal and food scraps classification, they have a sub-classification for those as well. Take "paper". You'd think you could very well stash all paper trash in one bin, but nooooooo. There are 4 categories (newspapers, printed materials, cardboard, cartons) and you need to further segregate them into "recyclable paper" and "paper not suitable for recycling". And what are the latter, you ask? Well, aluminum-coated or waxed cardboard, like the paper containers of yoghurt, ice cream, instant noodles, detergent and bath soaps fall into this category.

And what about "plastic"? There are plastic containers and packaging (bottles, tubes, nets, trays, cups and packs, caps, plastic bags and wrapping, cushion wrap) and plastic PET bottles. You'd think you could just very easily put the PET bottle into the trash bin but you are so wrong. There are specific instructions on how to throw it: Remove cape, lids, inner seals, etc. and rinse before putting out. Please crush PET bottles. Put out cans, bottles, and PET bottles together in semi-transparent bags so that the contents can be quickly and easily verified by the collectors.

There are also specific collection days for specific trash, like kitchen scraps are collected twice a week, recyclable paper are collected every first and third Mondays of the month, plastic containers and packaging every Monday and cans and PET bottles every Wednesday. See? Not easy. I always have to check the chart to see which trash to put out each day. And, you have to leave your trash in the trash receptacle on the scheduled collection day by 8am. Don't ask me why, that's what's written in the Yokohama City website.

You'd think those are the only classifications of garbage they have here. Once again, you are so wrong. There are more: small metal items less than 30cm in size (wire clothes hangers, knives, pots), dry cell batteries (only cylindrical batteries - button type NOT accepted), non-burnable garbage (glass items, ceramics, light bulbs, bottles for cosmetics), and oversized garbage - metal items and other items larger than 50cm (appliances, furniture, etc). Oversized trash will NOT be collected by the regular collectors. You will need to contact either a recycling commitee in Yokohama, the retail store where you bought the appliance, or the manufacturer (for computers, for example). So when we had 3 trash bins in the apartment before, we now have 5 plastic bags for all the different garbage. We had to set the cans aside because the apartment is quite small and having 5 trash cans would simply occupy a lot of space. We then settled on this handy wire rack that could hold 5 bags and won't occupy a whole lot of space.

Crazy, isn't it? The first few days I was here it was really all so confusing. I had to read the guide, check the website and make sure the trash were all segregated properly. And there is a ¥2000 fine for people who do not throw trash properly and are caught. Scary. I tried to teach Nikki how to properly throw the trash and which trash bag is which but because of the many classifications, it's not easy to just tell him to "throw this in the recyclable paper bin". Well maybe I could teach him the sub-classification next time.

Okay, now for the good news. Because of the vigilance and the discipline of the Yokohama citizens, they have reduced 30% of garbage 5 years earlier than intended. Isn't that great news? In 2001, they had 1,610,000 tons of trash. And in 2005, it was reduced to 1,060,000. Wonderful. As a person concerned about our environment (and helping in my own little way), I only wish it was like this all over the world (more so in the Philippines). In Yokohama, there are neighborhood recycling groups and recycling groups registered at Yokohama City can receive a bounty according to amounts of recyclables. Isn't that creative?

Sigh. Yes, I admit, it's definitely NOT easy to throw the trash here in this city. It's challenging and frustrating especially when the trash piles up and it's not collection day yet. But I will continue to be vigilant and follow the guidelines if only to preserve Mother Earth and to do my part in making this world a better place for my kids. Let's hope you are doing your part as well.