IDEAS FOR GOODAbout an hour’s drive from Tokushima City is Kamikatsu, a small town in Shikoku Island. This depopulated town has less than 1,600 people, 50% of which belongs to an aging population. In spite of that, this town welcomes approximately 2,600 visitors from all around the world annually.
In 2003, Kamikatsu became the first town in Japan to implement the zero waste policy, with an aim to be completely zero waste by 2020. To date, the town has not used garbage collection trucks. Instead, the 1,552 people (as of 1st October 2017) from its 787 households living in the town’s 55 villages, separate and bring their own garbage to the town’s waste collection center.
At Kamikatsu, there are 45 categories of garbage types, the highest number of divisions in Japan. This precise separation of garbage has helped the town to achieve a recycling rate of over 80%. It has been 16 years since the introduction of the policy, with only a handful of years remaining till 2020. Kamikatsu is already counting down to achieving their goal of becoming waste free altogether.
Hibigaya Waste Collection Center – A Blessing In Disguise
Why was Kamikatsu engaged in the issue of waste disposal in the first place? Suga from Kamikatsu Town Hall explained that it might have something to do with the fact that the town is one of the earliest regions in Japan to face declining and aging population.
Kamikatsu was originally a forestry town that used to exercise open incineration as its main form of waste disposal. Over time, the prefecture informed the town that they could no longer continue using open incineration for waste disposal. Already faced with a declining and aging population, Kamikatsu town was not able to afford a new incinerator. Hence, the town decided to explore an alternative method of waste disposal.
The Zero Waste Policy
1. To encourage environmental friendly habits and lifestyle to people!
2. To remove waste disposal methods such as open incineration and land reclamation by 2020 through reusing and recycling efforts!
3. To build a community that cares for the environment!
Kuru-Kuru Re-use is a shop located inside the waste collection center that sells second-hand children’s clothing and reusable items. It helps to recycle over 15 tons of garbage every year.
By substituting open incineration and land reclamation with recycling, Kamikatsu town has been able to achieve a 60% reduction in waste disposal cost. However, administration alone is not enough to sustain the zero waste policy in the long run. Hence the NPO Zero Waste Academy was founded in 2005.
A waste collection center with a human touch
Kamikatsu town’s waste collection center is also more than just a place to collect and sort garbage. Unlike other unattended collection centers in Japan, Kamikatsu town have permanent staff stationed at the waste collection center. When residents bring their own garbage to the center, it becomes a communication grounds for all residents and the staff. This consequently creates a virtuous cycle with two contributing elements.
First, the waste collection center becomes the bedrock for the community. As a place where communication happens, it creates positivity and encouragement for the residents to practice waste management. It also becomes an education outlet as the residents learn from the staff in a comfortable environment.
Second, the residents find value and meaning in separating and bringing their garbage to the waste collection center. Not only do they feel competent in doing their part for a zero-waste town, they also look forward to going to the waste collection center to affirm relationships with other residents. Of course, there might also be a surprise find waiting for them at the Kuru-Kuru Re-use Shop!
These two social aspects are essential, both are driven by a human presence at the waste collection center. Zero Waste Academy’s Chairman, Sakano, believes that these are the two reasons why the town has been able to come this far with its zero waste policy.
Commitment beyond Zero Waste 2020
Kamikatsu town has been cultivating an adequate environment for residents to exercise easy garbage disposal. A new waste collection complex ‘WHY’ is scheduled to open in spring 2020 to further commit to the zero waste policy.
The complex is expected to provide accommodation facilities for visitors, a co-working space for zero waste related start-up companies, and an interaction space for locals. The vision behind this complex is to change the definition of a waste collection center. Rather than having the sole purpose of waste disposal, the complex aims to build a community and become a place that people can look forward to visiting.
Zero Waste Accreditation System that uplifts local businesses
Kamikatsu town and Zero Waste Academy have established a Zero Waste Accreditation System, an official certification that certifies restaurants to be zero waste according to a set of criteria.
This accreditation system consists of 6 different categories, such as the reduction and reuse of locally produced packaging, and the upcycling of recyclable packaging materials. The zero waste accreditation system adds value to stores by assessing and crediting their contribution to the zero waste policy. There are two main goals behind this accreditation system.
The first is to bring more profits into the town. Although Kamikatsu town welcomes a large number of visitors each year, most visitors’ only itinerary is the waste collection center that is located close to the city. However, with a map of zero waste certified stores, visitors are able to drop by these food establishments after their visit to the waste collection center. The more accreditation a store receives, the more its business will prosper.
The second reason is to listen to the voice of consumers. It is not a simple task to change the shopping habits of each individual resident with campaigns alone. Hence, Sakano came up with a solution: to be more inclusive of consumers’ feedback by using the store as a hub for communication. With feedback from consumers regarding their reasons for purchasing one product over another, manufacturers will be able to use this information to produce products accordingly to its demand, fulfilling one of the main goals of the accreditation system.
Products sold by weight to eliminate waste
Consumers going to Tokushima city for supermarkets is one of the limitations Kamikatsu town faces. What can be done to curb the outflow of buying power?
Restaurants in Kamikatsu town are slowly incorporating the service of selling into businesses in Tokushima prefecture. Instead of purchasing packaged products, this waste-free solution is an attempt to provide residents with a package-free shopping experience.
While supermarkets have their merits, they are unable to optimize for a waste-free, package-free concept. We are unable to tell a supermarket that we only need half a packet of milk. Supermarkets cannot handle the risks of opening food packets to sell. Their scale is also too large to have enough manpower handle individual requests. In the end, supermarkets are optimized for mass sales.
On the other hand, that is not the case for Kamikatsu town’s restaurants. Products are being consumed at the premise itself. Hence, there will not be a loss from unconsumed portions; a huge difference from retail establishments. Because of that, Sakano believes that it would be easier to start small by slowly introducing this.
Not a problem a single town can resolve
Sakano shares that “waste disposal is an issue that cannot be solved by Kamikatsu alone.”
There are very few stores in Kamikatsu town. More than 70% of its residents purchase their commodities from Tokushima city. No matter how much effort is placed into improving these local restaurants, benefits cannot be reaped if residents continue to travel out of town to do their shopping; a limitation faced by the town.
Despite its declining and aging population, Kamikatsu is one of the world’s most accomplished zero waste town. The world is looking forward to what the town has to offer in the future for its ongoing quest towards becoming completely zero waste. Without a doubt, Kamikatsu town serves as a source of inspiration to alleviate other issues faced by the country.
[Reference Site] WHY-Kamikatsu[Reference Site] Zero Waste Academy
This article was originally published on IDEAS FOR GOOD.
Translated by Amanda Wee.
