Now that I have been here a week my first impressions include the Japanese’s special attention to waste.  Things that get thrown out and then that get flushed out and flushed down and HOW they are disposed of.

There is nothing casual about waste here.  The garbage system is detailed, specific and complicated.  There are at least 4 categories; burnable, most common, non-burnable-least common, cans, bottles, PET bottles, which include the #1 recycle symbol as well as containers for drinks and seasonings and Container Plastics and Trays, there sure are A LOT of trays used in this country for food. but this category also includes plastic bags and noodle containers along with Shampoo and oil bottles.

This is only the beginning, of course because there are two more pages of what the city does not collect and then there are newspapers, cardboard, clothes and waste paper to contend with.