How cleanliness drove Japan’s usage of plastics

If you have lived in Japan or had the opportunity to visit the country, you’ll be quick to realize the abundance of plastic that goes hand-in-hand with everyday life throughout the country. Stepping inside any of Japan’s many convenience stores, supermarkets, luxury shops or souvenir stores, it is impossible to avoid the bombardment of plastic bags in which items are placed and individually wrapped. The wide-ranging synthetic material is used in almost every aspect of Japanese lifestyle. It is crucial to examine why this phenomenon of overwrapping and excessive waste exists within the country.

Plastic and Japan’s culture of clean

A bit of Japanese culture knowledge will make it a little easier to understand why there seems to be excessive plastic usage. Walking through the streets of Tokyo, one may even assume that it is one of the world’s cleanest cities. Moreover, lavatories are some of the most sanitary in the world, which might help one get over their phobia of entering and using a public toilet seat. Stores are kept in immaculate condition too, providing a sense of utmost cleanliness. Well, this may be an exaggeration, but it isn’t too far from the truth.

All of these are is derived from Japan’s adamant approach to cleanliness and appearances. Compared to many western countries, Japan’s businesses, shop owners and artisans strive to provide customers with a clean and pristine image. It also explains why you might receive a look of confusion when telling the shop staff that it’s alright to place the snickers bar in the same bag as a cleaning disinfectant you’ve purchased. Splitting up your items depending on their type is a way to keep them “clean” and free from a mixture of otherwise dangerous chemicals in the event of spillage. However, this unbridled form of handing out plastic leads to a crisis that affects Japan and the global environment.

Plastic is a double-edged sword

The use of plastic in the Land of the Rising Sun is a double-edged sword in which the consequences greatly outweigh its advantages. Although the synthetic material aids in maintaining social tidiness, the catastrophic effects are already apparent worldwide; Japan is in second place right after the U.S. when it comes to plastic packaging waste per capita. It is also essential to know that plastic’s quality significantly deteriorates each time it is recycled. In fact, almost 70% of plastic is incinerated because it is impossible to reuse plastic more than a handful of times. Furthermore, there is a common misconception throughout the globe that we can recycle plastic forever.

Japan’s love relationship with plastic, which is literally toxic, is not only affecting its own country. A large portion of plastic waste is sent to other countries that may not have the proper processing facilities. Like many other developed nations, Japan ships its garbage to other parts of the world, usually developing countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam who take in plastic waste. Consequently, the lack of proper equipment and factories to handle the synthetic material could mean much of it ends up in our surrounding water reservoirs and oceans. According to Nikkei, approximately 80% of the world’s ocean plastic originates from Asia. This should be a cause for alarm for most people.

We can find plastics in the environment and in our body

Although excessive plastic use is detrimental to the environment, this fact might escape many Japanese individuals due to the strict recycling process to which all residents must adhere. Japan has a rather complex sorting and recycling system compared to many other countries around the planet. Many foreigners who move to Japan may have trouble adapting to such a strict sorting system. However, this complex recycling system and assortment may conjure a false sense of waste management for residents in the country. This is due to a lack of understanding where a large percentage of our trash ends up.

The misconception of recycling is not native to only Japan but is a global phenomenon. It continues to negatively impact not only the environment but our bodies as well. Microplastics have been discovered in the most remote regions on earth, as well as within our bodies. Researchers have also found that every human now eats and breathes approximately 50,000 particles of microplastic each year.

More needs to be done to tackle the plastic problem in Japan

Although Japan produces a large chunk of waste each year, there are organizations, citizens and residents throughout the country are trying to tackle the issue. For example, some supermarkets have stepped up efforts to limit the use of plastic bags by charging customers, which in turn encourages people to either purchase or bring personal reusable shopping baskets or sacks. However, the fact that plastics, such as pet bottles that are nestled away in street corner vending machines, are too easily accessible to the general public. It only feeds into the image that the synthetic material is easily recyclable. If more awareness related to excess waste and damage isn’t readily available, the rate of plastic waste may only become worse over time.