Jakarta –
Cleanliness is part of faith, this principle is truly implemented by Japan. Not only are they clean, the cities are also beautiful without any trash bins.
The ‘disappearance’ of trash cans in Japan was carried out deliberately since 1995. At that time there was a poison gas attack from the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Tokyo.
Since then, Japan has been organized in such a way, without the presence of trash cans. Tourist Those who come to Japan for the first time are often confused about how to dispose of rubbish on their trip.
After the pandemic, Japan is paying special attention to tourism. Every effort is being made to increase tourist arrivals.
Reporting from Japan Times On Sunday (19/11), this week, the Dotonbori District in Osaka was busy with tourists, with visits even higher than before the pandemic. The government has also taken concerns about the impact on hygiene into consideration.
Finally, the government ‘reintroduced’ the presence of trash cans in the district. There weren’t many of them, only 20. However, this trash can is high-tech and is named SmaGo.
“Some local governments are finally starting to realize that there is nothing else that can be done other than providing trash bins,” said Yohei Takemura, CEO of startup Forcetec, which distributes SmaGo in Japan.
The SmaGo has a solar panel that allows the bin to detect the full level of trash. Not only that, SmaGo also has the ability to compress waste by around 20 percent. These bins connect to smartphones and will send alerts to workers when they are full.
“Japan is experimenting with trash cans and seeing whether this will make cities cleaner,” he said.
This waste problem is exacerbated by the tourist trend of street food, takoyaki and red bean cake. Tourists who buy them are often unaware of Japan’s strict regulations regarding waste sorting in the country.
“For Japanese people, carrying rubbish in bags is commonplace. The rubbish will be thrown away when it gets home,” said Takemura.
Takemura said the government was initially reluctant to use the bins. After being convinced that tourist attractions needed trash cans, the Ometesandi shopping street in Tokyo installed SmaGo in 2020.
Now SmaGo can be found in more than 200 units in large tourist attractions, such as the Arashiyama bamboo forest in Kyoto. Even so, there is still resistance to trash cans from several local governments, including Osaka.
Kimura, an Osaka resident, is one of those who rejects the presence of trash cans. He said the city has no plans to add smart trash bins in the near future.
“Providing rubbish bins on the streets actually makes the city dirtier because people bring leftover food from home and the rubbish will overflow, this will make the area smell like rubbish,” he said.
“I hope tourists have the ethics to take their trash home or return it to the place where they bought the food.”
Watch the video “Japan will require TB tests for travelers next year”
(bnl/bnl)
2023-11-19 09:20:45
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