About Life in Japan -- From a Thai, Bolivian, and Ugandan Perspective

In Bolivia, we used to throw out all the garbage together. You could just put it in one garbage can and throw it out. They started to separate the garbage around 6 or 7 years ago.

It's the same in Thailand. You can put all the garbage in one black bag and take it out. It's still the same today.

In Uganda, we also throw out the garbage all together. I don't think this has changed yet. We use brown bags, like the ones used for coffee or rice, instead of plastic bags. Some people put the garbage in a bucket and then just throw out the contents.

We used to put out the garbage in the bags from the supermarket, but this is slowly changing. We now separate plastic bottles, glass bottles and cans for recycling.

It was difficult when I first came to Japan. I understood how to separate cans and bottles, but the details were difficult. In Sumida City, plastic is burnable garbage, but it used to be non-burnable. For example, when you buy meat, the tray and plastic wrapping is non-burnable, but the price tag is a paper sticker. It's hard to peel it off, so I didn't know what to do.

Separating the garbage wasn't too difficult for me. My mother taught me. I didn't know how to throw away batteries though. Now I know. It's every Friday in my town. I put them in a bag and throw them out.

At first, I didn't know when to throw out the garbage. I lived at my mother-in-law's house when I first came to Japan, and she taught me how to separate the garbage properly. I moved out after that, and already knew what to do. But this is the first I've heard about batteries. I didn't know that.

How you throw away batteries depends on the city. Where I used to live, it was once a month, but I can throw them out every Friday where I live now.

Do you have the booklet that explains how to throw away garbage? I got it from the City Office. It's very easy to understand because it has pictures. This booklet is helpful for most things, but there are still some things that I don't understand. For example, sometimes I don't know if plastic garbage is recyclable or non-burnable garbage. I was once warned by a neighbor that I was doing it wrong.

Once I took out the trash without the sticker, and someone had to correct me. That's when I found out you're supposed to put a sticker on oversized garbage. Sometimes I still see chairs or fans thrown out without the sticker. Maybe the people that are throwing these things out don't know the rules.

When I attended volunteer Japanese classes, the teachers often asked me, "Do you know how to throw out the garbage?"; they wanted to teach me if I didn't know. I actually asked them "How should I throw away this type of garbage?".

Yes, I was asked that often in volunteer classes. I get that question at work as well.

They think you might need help and ask out of kindness.

What do you think about having to pay for plastic bags?

It was better when they were free, because we didn't have to spend money.

Either way is fine for me. I can use the plastic bags as garbage bags if they are free. If not, I bring my own reusable bag. I think reusable bags are better for the environment.

If you did a lot of shopping when plastic bags were free, they would give you five or six plastic bags. I folded them and used them as garbage bags, but I still had quite a lot of them.

Yes, yes, it was the same for me.

These days I carry reusable bags or other bags when I go shopping. I buy plastic bags when that's not enough, but I use them as garbage bags. It's a big difference. It used to be too much. Even if I said, "Just one please, just one is fine", they would put two or three bags, so I used to refuse them.

Yes, that's very true.

Yes, that's very true.

In Bolivia, plastic bags are not free, so everyone uses a thick and sturdy plastic bag. We take the bus if we're going to a large market near our home. If there's not much shopping to do, we take the bags to a small supermarket nearby.

Thailand has also started charging for plastic bags. My mother also takes a bag when she shops. Markets are cheaper than the supermarkets. Markets put your items in thin plastic bags. Supermarkets use trays for fish and meat, but markets don't.

Trays aren't used in Bolivia either.

It's the same in Uganda. They don't use trays. I think trays are a waste.

My local supermarket has both the ones in trays and the ones in plastic bags. I buy the ones without trays. It's a waste, since you just throw them away once you are back home.

That's true, I don't use trays either. It only turns into garbage.

I don't think there are any facilities for burning garbage in Thailand. It's just placed in an open space. I'm from Ayutthaya, and there are no mountains there. When I went back to my hometown, I saw something like a mountain and wondered what it was. I was surprised to see it was a pile of garbage. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I was disappointed. I think the Japanese system is better.

Uganda is the same. It's all dumped in one place, and looks like a mountain. I don't buy PET bottle drinks. I buy water filters and drink tap water.

I used to buy bottled tea, but now I make my own barley tea (mugi-cha) since I really like it.

That's nice. Please teach me how to make it.

It's easy, you just put in packet of barley tea.

I don't buy plastic bottles either. I use a thermos.
What do you do with clothing that you don't wear anymore?

I send it to my friends in Uganda.

Instead of throwing away things that I don't use, I sell them on flea market apps. It's good because it doesn't become garbage and you can make some money.
What do you do with spoons and chopsticks that you get in the convenience stores?

I take them because they're convenient.

At convenience stores, the staff will put them in the bag before I can say no.

I receive them and use them. I eat a lot, so I buy two bentos (boxed lunch). They put two pairs of chopsticks but I always say one pair is fine.