While people all over the world have a role to play in addressing pollution and Earth's rising temperature, some regions have different problems than others. Plastic overuse is an issue in the U.S., but one traveler said it was even more prevalent in Japan, where they spotted multiple examples on a recent trip.
What's happening?
The tourist posted about their experience in the r/Anticonsumption subreddit with photos of two examples. "Japan is hard to visit as an environmentally conscious anti-consumptionist," they said. "Everything and I mean everything is wrapped in single use plastic. Honestly it's been really jarring. I thought we were getting past this?!"
Their first photo shows a basket at a store full of individual bananas. Each one is packaged in a printed plastic bag with a twist tie and a sticker label.
The second photo shows five cotton swabs on a table. Each is also individually wrapped in single-use plastic.
A commenter backed up the observation with numbers, though they didn't cite a source. "Japan's municipal waste generation per capita is notably lower than many high-income countries — 326 kg/year compared to the U.S. (811 kg/year in 2018)," they said. "However, its plastic consumption is disproportionately high due to cultural norms around hygiene, presentation, and convenience."
Why is plastic waste important?
Plastic is useful for some applications, like single-use medical supplies, but in most places, it does more harm than good. It's made from highly polluting crude oil, which damages the environment when it's extracted. The plastic itself releases chemicals and microplastics into our food and our environment as well as being inconvenient to dispose of.
It's extremely difficult to recycle, and if not recycled, it's likely to end up in the environment instead of a landfill, harming people and wildlife alike. Even in a landfill, it will take a century or more to break down.
Given all these drawbacks, it's nonsensical to use it to cover a product like a banana, which already has a natural protective peel, or a non-sterile item like a cotton swab.
Is Japan doing anything about this?
According to Plastic Atlas Asia, Japan is making efforts to curb its excessive plastic waste. "Japan has a cutting-edge plastic waste management system, advanced infrastructure, and various other technologies and policies for recycling and waste processing, not to mention a proactive system of cooperation with citizens and companies," it said.
"According to the plastic management index (PMI), a metric for comparing countries' performances on plastic waste management from various angles, Japan is ranked second after Germany out of 25 countries."
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Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 Those efforts include an 85.8% recycling rate for PET plastic bottles as of 2019, fees for single-use plastic, and the promotion of renewable materials.
What can I do about plastic waste?
In Japan or anywhere else, you can reduce your use of plastic to protect the environment. Choose alternatives wherever possible — like substituting a reusable water bottle for single-use bottled water — and look for companies that use plastic-free packaging.
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