A Japanese city to name and shame people who break their trash rules

While many cities in Japan have opened garbage bags to inspect them, and some have allowed the disclosure of offending businesses, Fukushima is believed to be the first city to plan to release the names of both individuals and businesses, according to local media.

Last year, Fukushima reported more than 9,000 incidents of non-compliant waste.

Currently, instead of collecting trash that does not comply with disposal regulations, workers usually post stickers informing residents of the violation. Residents will then have to take their rubbish inside, re-sort and hope they get it right the next time the collectors come.

Under Fukushima’s new rules, if trash goes unsorted for a week, city workers can go through it and try to identify criminals through items such as mail. Violators will be given a verbal warning and a written recommendation before the last resort: have their names published on a government website.

Amid privacy concerns, Fukushima officials said the bin inspection would be conducted behind closed doors.

Each Japanese city has its own garbage disposal guidelines. In Fukushima, garbage bags must be placed at collection points by 08:30 each morning, but cannot be left out from the night before.

Different types of waste – combustible, non-combustible and recyclable waste are collected according to different schedules.

For items that exceed specified dimensions, such as appliances and furniture, residents must make an appointment to have them collected separately.

Fukushima Mayor Hiroshi Kohata said the new rules are designed to reduce waste and promote proper disposal methods.

“There is nothing illegal in the publicizing of hazardous waste generators that do not comply with regulations and do not follow the city’s instructions and recommendations,” Mainichi quoted officials as saying.

Since the 1990s, garbage has been taken very seriously in Japan, where the government has made it a national goal to move away from landfills, reduce waste and promote recycling. Local authorities have put forward their own initiatives for this purpose.

Residents of Kamikatsu, a Japanese city with an ambitious zero-waste goal, proudly separate their waste into 45 categories. Kagoshima Prefecture has forced residents to write their names on garbage bags. Last year, the city of Chiba tested an artificial intelligence assistant to help residents dispose of trash properly.