Innovative Environmentalism Around the World
STAFF
Issue date: 10/2/07 Section: News/Features
Japan recycles all possible waste, and most of the rest is incinerated. Garbage is sorted into burnable, non-burnable and recyclable. Recyclables are further sorted into paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. And it gets more complicated than that people are expected to peel labels off glass, clean bottles and cut boxes in certain ways to expedite the collection and recycling process. Trash bags are transparent and are collected in nets, rather than in bins, so everyone can see if everything was sorted correctly. And it is rumored that if garbage is not properly sorted, vindictive neighbors will actually dump it back on your doorstep. We also hear the garbage trucks are tiny to fit through the narrow streets, and they play cheerful music (like an ice cream truck!).
Switzerland
Switzerland creates a strong incentive to recycle by charging around one Euro for each bag of trash. Trash bags will not be collected unless they each have the requisite sticker. Meanwhile, it is free to dispose of goods separated for recycling, so there is a strong incentive to do so. Organic waste is picked up for recycling every two weeks, paper products are picked up once a month, and each supermarket has a bank for glass, plastic and battery recycling. Aluminum and tin are collected at other sites, and chemicals can be taken to special processing centers to be recycled.
These initiatives have led to the highest rate of recycling in Europe, with up to 80 percent of plastic containers returned to recycling centers.
Germany
Germany provides five separate containers for trash collection: one for packaging materials (such as milk cartons), one for paper and cardboard, one for glass (further divided into brown, green and clear), one for bio matter (food) and another bin for everything else. While citizens are not required to separate their trash, around 90 percent of Germans do so voluntary. Much of the trash is then recycled. Landfill waste is specially treated before being dumped. They targeted packaging reduction by taxing retailers based on the amount of paper or plastic packaging their products have. The system led to less paper, thinner glass and less material being used, reducing garbage by up to a million tons per year.
Switzerland
Switzerland creates a strong incentive to recycle by charging around one Euro for each bag of trash. Trash bags will not be collected unless they each have the requisite sticker. Meanwhile, it is free to dispose of goods separated for recycling, so there is a strong incentive to do so. Organic waste is picked up for recycling every two weeks, paper products are picked up once a month, and each supermarket has a bank for glass, plastic and battery recycling. Aluminum and tin are collected at other sites, and chemicals can be taken to special processing centers to be recycled.
These initiatives have led to the highest rate of recycling in Europe, with up to 80 percent of plastic containers returned to recycling centers.
Germany
Germany provides five separate containers for trash collection: one for packaging materials (such as milk cartons), one for paper and cardboard, one for glass (further divided into brown, green and clear), one for bio matter (food) and another bin for everything else. While citizens are not required to separate their trash, around 90 percent of Germans do so voluntary. Much of the trash is then recycled. Landfill waste is specially treated before being dumped. They targeted packaging reduction by taxing retailers based on the amount of paper or plastic packaging their products have. The system led to less paper, thinner glass and less material being used, reducing garbage by up to a million tons per year.
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