Japan Trying to Halve Garbage

Reduction of waste is a worthy endeavour where the goal is to reduce the costs of its disposal. Still, the measures reported here about Japan trying to reduce garbage by 60% obviously require rethinking. As a nation of some very affluent people, I am certain that the quest to reduce waste and cut down on the levels of garbage produced should not go to the extent of asking for citizens to carry their own chop sticks.Instead the approach should try to alter the relative incentives in using disposable chop sticks against the reusable ones. As i recall too, the disposal chopsticks are often made of wood and are perfectly replaceable.

Taxing the use of plastic bags as this blog has reported here and here recently would be the most appropriate way to go about it. It may help to recognize that any waste that occurs is driven not by the fact that Japanese society is obsessed with consumption but because there are no competitive alternatives. The spokesmen for the environment ministry ought to be cognizant of the fact that the highly productive economy would also be characterized by consumption. Again, it may help to look to Ireland as imposed austerity is not useful. It is unlikely that this is the last mention of this because many countries will be grappling with the quest for cleaner environment without taking a look at the most successful example. Bureaucrats pushing that ambitious goal would benefit from looking to Ireland.