It's a waste with a plastic bottle! Do you not utilize my bottle? July 3, 17:41
For the past year, I have not bought or received any bottled beverage. It's a day when I carry tap water into my favorite bottle (water bottle) at home and carry it around with me, but compared to California, where I was stationed until then, refilling (water supply) in Tokyo is surprisingly difficult. It is hard to find a place to supply water on the go. I feel like it was more common at train stations and public facilities when I was a kid. I checked it out. (Department of Economics, Kaori Iida)
200 per person per year!
This is often pointed out by foreigners visiting Japan who are “surprised by excessive packaging” and Japanese who have a long life abroad. Certainly, it is not uncommon to have individually wrapped cookies and rice crackers.
The sight that one egg and one banana are packed seems to be very rare in other countries, and there are acquaintances who take pictures at convenience stores.
Many of these packages are "disposable plastics" that are disposed of only once.
How many plastic bottles are there, which is also a symbol of this, in Japan?
According to the PET Bottle Recycling Promotion Council, 25.2 billion PET bottles were shipped domestically in FY2018. It is an increase of 6.9% compared to the previous year, and it is a calculation that 200 beverages were bought per person per year for one year. 200!
After all, the water dispenser at the station that was gone
Since the import of "Evian" in France in 1987, drinking water in plastic bottles has spread rapidly. On the other hand, it has become commonplace to buy drinking water at convenience stores and vending machines, and it has become uncommon to see water dispensers.
According to Tokyo Metro, in January 2015 there were 198 water stations and drinking fountains at the station. It means that it was completely abolished by May 2018. The reason is that the number of people who purchase drinking water at vending machines has increased and the needs have disappeared.
According to JR East, there are currently no water dispensers at all 30 stations on the Yamanote Line, either on the platform or on the premises. At the huge JR Tokyo station, the only water supply that was on the premises was removed last fall.
There are places like Tokyo's Toei Subway installed at all 101 stations, but in order to reduce the consumption of PET bottles, it is difficult to get drinks.
In fact, last year's survey by NGO Greenpeace Japan found that 58.5% of the 1,000 people in their 20s to 60s own my bottle. Of these, 77.2% said they did not water their bottles while they were out.
Don't you think it's a waste? If there were more water supply spots in the city, more people might be able to supply water.
Water supply at cafes and restaurants
However, as a practical matter, installing a new water dispenser in a public facility is costly and time consuming. Then, let's utilize what is already there. Such efforts have begun.
At "mymizu", a smartphone app launched by Luis Robin Kei and Mactia Mariko in September last year, users will post photos of their water dispensers and plot their locations on a map. There are more than 6,500 places in Japan, mainly in Tokyo.
“Reducing PET bottles is not a pain. I want to make my bottle look cool and cool at watering spots,” Lewis says.
What we are currently doing is increasing the number of cafes and restaurants that provide free drinking water when you bring my bottle. Persuaded, "
If it is displayed in the application, the number of customers will increase
."
So far, more than 470 stores and hotels have participated.
It takes a little courage to enter the cafe even though I didn't buy anything. First challenge at a cafe in Roppongi, Tokyo. About this cafe, the app said, "Water supply method: Please ask the staff", so when I handed out my bottle, he said, "Yes, please."
I hesitate to make multiple requests at the same store or when it is crowded, but I thought "Yes".
A more comfortable way.
IKEA Japan, which handles furniture and household goods, installed a water bottle spot for my bottle that anyone can use for free at a store that opened in June in Harajuku, Tokyo. Also registered in mymizu.
IKEA originated in Sweden has already abolished the use of disposable plastics in the world, and that is the trend.
Spread or private water supply spot
Will such "private water supply spots" spread? The Ryohin Keikaku plan, known as MUJI, is to reduce the amount of plastic waste by installing a water bottle for my bottle that can be used free of charge from July 1st.
First, it will be introduced at 113 stores nationwide, including Tokyo Shibuya and Osaka Namba, and alcohol sterilization will be carried out daily as a measure against the new coronavirus. Previously, it sold 1 million bottled bottles of water a year.
Shimazaki Foods Department Director
“Beverage makers can't choose not to sell water, but we can do it. I think that the feeling that customers can reduce the amount of garbage will lead to a sense of achievement.”
We anticipate that “water supply” that does not consume new PET bottles will spread in Japan, and we plan to expand it to about 400 stores in the future.
Japan is a technologically advanced “environmentally advanced country”
Although it is difficult to reduce plastic waste, Associate Professor Sadao Harada of the Faculty of Public Science, Osaka University of Commerce, who is familiar with the problem of plastic waste, points out that the belief that an "environmentally advanced country" makes Japan's countermeasures difficult.
Associate professor Harada
"Japan is said to be an "environmentally advanced country", but it is "technology-oriented" such as efficient air conditioners and fuel-efficient cars. In terms of plastic waste, waste treatment facilities that can incinerate plastic at high temperatures are expensive. Although it is technical, some municipalities cannot introduce it because it is expensive, and environmental problems are also financial problems.In order to reduce, not only infrastructure depends on hardware but also water supply spots such as cafes can be deployed softly. Step by step is important, step forward or half step forward."
It's about time
Even if we say that we are concerned about the environmental pollution of plastic waste thrown into the sea, living without disposable plastic is far impossible.
Food wrapped in plastic is hygienic, convenient to transport, and can be difficult to substitute with other materials given the humid climate of Japan. It is also prudent to store PET bottled water in case of a disaster.
However, I also feel that I am at the limit.
The "total amount of waste plastics released" in 2018 was 8.91 million tons (according to the Plastic Recycling Association). Of this, 28% was reused as plastic products and raw materials, and 56% was "thermal recycling," which recovered the thermal energy obtained during incineration. 84% of these combined is Japan's recycling rate.
However, in other major countries, "thermal recycling" is not included in the "recycling rate", and the international line of sight is becoming severe about calling incineration that emits carbon dioxide as "recycling".
It will also be difficult to survive the reduction of plastic waste by exporting.
Of the 8.91 million tons previously mentioned, 10% or 910,000 tons was exported for "recycling". At the end of 2017, China, which was the largest recipient, stopped importing plastic waste, resulting in a 30% decrease from the previous year.
Since then, other countries have moved into regulation.
Utilize my bottle
It seems that we need to seriously reduce the amount of plastic waste in our lives.
Japan is a country with safe and delicious tap water, which is proud of in the world. There are signs that the number of water supply spots will gradually increase. Do you not utilize the water bottle that is sleeping at home?
Economic Department Desk
Kaori Iida
Joined in 1992, and currently
holds the position of Kyoto Broadcasting Station, Washington Branch, Los Angeles Branch, etc.