What Happens to Garbage in Japan

Ever wonder where all of the waste in Japan goes once it's collected?
Part 1: Does Japan have a plastic problem • Does Japan have a plas...
Sources:
- How to sort garbage guide for foreign residents www.city.saga.lg.jp/main/5059...
- Saga city garbage collection rules www.city.saga.lg.jp/main/3027...
- Kamikatsu zero waste town www.nippon.com/en/guide-to-ja...
- Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics www.meti.go.jp/english/press/...
- Oslo leading by example: world’s first CO2 capture and storage on waste incinerator to become reality in 2026 bellona.org/news/ccs/2022-03-...
- CCS pilot phase successfully completed on Norwegian waste-to-energy plantwww.thechemicalengineer.com/n...
- CCUS: Could this be the best-kept secret of climate solutions? • CCUS: Could this be th...
- Edogawa incineration plant goo.gl/maps/rEKaTmMrCdWkf9bY7
- Wasteland: Tokyo grows on its own trash www.japantimes.co.jp/life/201...
- UN Environment Programme: Waste-to-Energy Incineration www.iges.or.jp/en/publication...
- The incinerator and the ski slope tackling waste www.bbc.com/news/business-498...
- Understanding the carbon impacts of Waste to Energy incineration zerowasteeurope.eu/2020/03/un...
- Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) www.epa.gov/smm/energy-recove...
- BURNING TRASH IS A CLIMATE DISASTER www.no-burn.org/zero-incinera...
- What’s Wrong with Burning Our Trash, Anyway? www.clf.org/blog/whats-wrong-...
- CLEAN Authority of Tokyo List of Icineration plant facilities www.union.tokyo23-seisou.lg.jp...
Video Gear I Use
📷 Camera: amzn.to/2NEokdl
📷 Drone: amzn.to/2GAURv8
📷 Wide Lens: amzn.to/2BcJCGJ
📷 Prime Lens: amzn.to/2C2LEpt
🎤 Microphone: amzn.to/2BJi114
📺 Monitor: amzn.to/2E8XzUI
📷 All the rest: kit.co/lifewhereimfrom/youtub...
Connect
🗲Patreon: / lifewhereimfrom
🗲Life Where I'm From X Channel: bit.ly/ytlwifx
🗲Website: www.lifewhereimfrom.com
🗲Facebook: / lifewhereimfrom
🗲Instagram: / lifewhereimfrom
🗲Twitter: / lifewhereimfrom
Music by Epidemic Sound www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

Пікірлер: 755

  • @-EchoesIntoEternity-
    @-EchoesIntoEternity- Жыл бұрын

    i bet the crane operator must be amazing at the arcade crane games. no plushie is safe

  • @Masterhitman935

    @Masterhitman935

    Жыл бұрын

    No fair, he got the big craw cheat. /s

  • @cantsay

    @cantsay

    Жыл бұрын

    They got his picture behind the counter. "OH, crane game broken, sorry!" Lol

  • @ashakydd1

    @ashakydd1

    Жыл бұрын

    Sadly, those skills don't cross over as well as you'd think. I work in a job where we use crane trucks regularly and none of the crane operators said that they were any good at crane games. One operator actually suggested that the skill doesn't translate simply because the way the crane games grab items is very different.

  • @ShannonJacobs0

    @ShannonJacobs0

    Жыл бұрын

    Why should my comments be any less repetitious than the google's offensive ads? Only one question for KZread: Do you really think more frequent and more offensive ads can lead to profit?

  • @rudrafel

    @rudrafel

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm here to appreciate your joke and plushie concern

  • @chimingchiu
    @chimingchiu Жыл бұрын

    I always like how the Japanese handle their garbage and recycling. There is NO PERFECT method to deal with this issue, but Japan took the way they thought was the most appropriate given their situations. Thank you, Greg.

  • @tronixfix

    @tronixfix

    Жыл бұрын

    They should also recycle their junk... instead they just dump it in Africa.

  • @mc4492

    @mc4492

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tronixfixwhere’s your proof of that?..

  • @tronixfix

    @tronixfix

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mc4492 in front of my door. I live in Kenya, we get most of their junk cars. Still with japanese insurance stickers and everything on the windscreen. They dump them here because they won't pass japanese emission test anymore.

  • @mc4492

    @mc4492

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tronixfix that sucks👎🏼

  • @BlanketyBlank9050

    @BlanketyBlank9050

    Жыл бұрын

    I guess it’s a lot better than the way they disposed of all that nuclear waste when they ran out of land they dumped it in the ocean! Explains why the ocean life is dying out and why the sea creatures have big cancerous tumors on them huh!

  • @ladyflimflam
    @ladyflimflam Жыл бұрын

    I used to live in a university town in the US that incinerated garbage as part of it’s electricity generation fuel mix. The biggest problem is getting people to seperate glass from that waste stream. When the glass goes through the incinerator it creates a slag that reduces efficiency. There are glass dropoffs around town, but people still include glass in their trash

  • @edwardbyard6540

    @edwardbyard6540

    Жыл бұрын

    That's crazy. We've recycled glass for well over 30 years. You guys need a deposit scheme.

  • @ChristianSkallerupBrgesen

    @ChristianSkallerupBrgesen

    Жыл бұрын

    I Denmark we also have plant like this. But in contrast to Japan all our plant are a part of our district heating network supplying large cities with heat AND electricity. Plants are located in the large cities like Copenhagen Roskilde and Århus where it is possible to use all the generated heat. I know of a upcoming project in a suburb of Copenhagen , that will capture carbon as in Japan .

  • @MalawisLilleKanal

    @MalawisLilleKanal

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ChristianSkallerupBrgesen We have that in Norway as well, but the heat is priced so high that it's more economically sensible for the end user to use a heat-pump.

  • @keithbroh5730

    @keithbroh5730

    Жыл бұрын

    In Michigan I don’t know if it’s for use in incinerators or just for general recycling but they pay you for the glass and plastic bottles at grocery stores and you use the credit towards your grocery’s, or you just take the cash. It’s near impossible to find trash on the street in most towns because of it

  • @w270rab

    @w270rab

    Жыл бұрын

    @@keithbroh5730 Same in South Australia, most glass & plastic bottles have a 10cents deposit so most people take them to a recycling depot for a refund, any that do get chucked on the street get picked up by the homeless & they cash 'em in.

  • @turnerwright
    @turnerwright Жыл бұрын

    Living in Japan just makes you think more about where your garbage goes. I remember being amused when a non-burnable pickup day came, because I could finally get rid of awkward metal pieces I had been holding onto.

  • @RT-qd8yl

    @RT-qd8yl

    3 ай бұрын

    Do they not have metal recycling centers like in America where you can drop off recyclable items for money? Copper, brass, aluminum, steel, etc

  • @turnerwright

    @turnerwright

    3 ай бұрын

    @@RT-qd8yl They do in urban areas, but they're far from convenient.

  • @skeetrix5577

    @skeetrix5577

    25 күн бұрын

    I honestly could never visit Japan because I'd probably never leave cause I'd get arrested too many rules for every little thing I have a rebellious soul and would break their rules without even thinking about it

  • @MaddatMatt
    @MaddatMatt3 ай бұрын

    Cleanest waste facilities I have ever seen!

  • @MageThief
    @MageThief Жыл бұрын

    When I lived in Japan, I didn't think garbage sorting was that hard, just take your time and you will figure it out in the beginning. Here in Sweden, the recycling centers are so efficient that we import garbage from other countries.

  • @MrJm323

    @MrJm323

    Жыл бұрын

    "....just take your time..." This is why most people don't separate their trash to begin with -- they VALUE their time.

  • @MrJm323

    @MrJm323

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnm2939 "Do you value the planet?" Apart from my time on it, no. I know it's shocking but some humans value their own life (and that of their loved ones) before "the planet". For non-self-hating humans, the proverbial "bath water" is not valued more than "the baby" -- it is ONLY valued insofar as it serves the well-being of "the baby". (And, if we dumped all of our trash onto heaps or into the oceans like we did before 1972, our planet would still "survive", as it is surviving now that we bury most of our trash -- whether in the form of ash or not -- in the ground. Pollution and waste doesn't threaten "the planet". The planet itself will still be here regardless of how we handle our waste.) "Your kind of ignorance, and that's all it truly is, it's ignorance." That's rich coming from someone who doesn't understand the meaning of "ignorance". This is an issue of VALUES rather than knowledge. Do you PRIORITZE your life (and that of your loved ones) higher than any and all other living beings, or do you think that some creator -- Gaia or God -- has created you (and your loved ones) to be a sacrificial beast for "the planet" (or every other living creature in the universe)?

  • @kewliost

    @kewliost

    Жыл бұрын

    Sweden also burns a fair chunk of theirs and other countries garbage after sorting and recycling. I don't know the exact numbers, something like 50% or so

  • @malcolm_in_the_middle

    @malcolm_in_the_middle

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MrJm323 So many people think that humans are outside of nature, and that what we do is 'unnatural'. I will never understand people who think humans should be wiped out, or have our population dramatically reduced to 'save the planet'.

  • @escapetherace1943

    @escapetherace1943

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MrJm323 okay, but would you rather live in a planet with trash everywhere or a planet where trash isn't in the water, ocean, and street gtfo out of here lmao

  • @pydepyper
    @pydepyper Жыл бұрын

    This was excellent! I appreciate that you presented pros and cons of treating trash this way!

  • @user-no2mz9hl4f

    @user-no2mz9hl4f

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes, I agree. Nice and balanced.

  • @Helioscore1
    @Helioscore1 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome video. Regarding the comment about putting incinerators in poor communities; to be specific, the Chuo ward incinerator is next to the Olympic village. And the both the Chuo and Minato ward incinerators are each, only 2 km away from some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

  • @xxpyroxx1670

    @xxpyroxx1670

    Жыл бұрын

    if the country's debt is higher then its GDP then they are all broke and poor. America is so broke its debt far exceeds its GDP lmao pretty much everyone is working for free. bunch of idiots ya?

  • @squeeeb

    @squeeeb

    2 ай бұрын

    I used to live in Chuo. That incinerator looks like the combine tower from Half-Life 2 lol. But yea, beautiful (and very expensive) area.

  • @darekradulski6213
    @darekradulski62139 ай бұрын

    Back in my childhood days everything was so much easier. Liquids were in glass , fruits and veggies were lose , meat was wrapped in paper/ waxed paper . And the glass packaging was returnable .

  • @fi2ks
    @fi2ks Жыл бұрын

    I think all countries should share info and ideas like this and be more open to other ways of doing things and take advantage of works best.

  • @supercap3000

    @supercap3000

    9 ай бұрын

    This would not work in USA. USA prides itself in ignoring any outside information

  • @Nigel_DeLaVega

    @Nigel_DeLaVega

    3 ай бұрын

    They actually do that it's just that some in some countries the engineers get mad they didn't think of that way and don't use it or there's corruption that takes away the initial funding and jeopardize the entire process

  • @samsawesomeminecraft
    @samsawesomeminecraft8 ай бұрын

    to reduce the amount of CO2 coming out from the combustion chamber towards the chimney, it is helpful to change the stoichiometry of the reactants in order to produce less CO2 and more soot (the soot will be mixed with the ash, creating darker ash containing more carbon). Thus, carbon is sent directly to the landfill and it will stay there approximately forever. This also reduces energy output, but it is probably worth trying?

  • @CptFitzgerald
    @CptFitzgerald Жыл бұрын

    "I'm not an expert", yet your videos have helped me educate my friends and co-workers on how flawed our recycling system is in the United States compared to how it is in Japan and I even have helped them get a better eye for identification and sorting based on my inspiration from the Japanese- and your videos have been a part of this. Great job, man.

  • @MalawisLilleKanal

    @MalawisLilleKanal

    Жыл бұрын

    As a European, it seems like the biggest recycling flaw in the US is the lack of bottle-refund. Even though some areas have it, it should be done in the whole of the US, and would cut down on plastic/aluminum waste.

  • @CptFitzgerald

    @CptFitzgerald

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MalawisLilleKanal I agree as I lived in Oregon in my early 20s- however going to the bottle return was literally watching junkies eying you while trying to do your returns.

  • @user-zl4rr1ic7w

    @user-zl4rr1ic7w

    8 ай бұрын

    ​@@CptFitzgeraldstill like that

  • @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    28 күн бұрын

    "I'm not an expert"; it sure as hell shows! If he'd done his research, he'd have discovered information stating that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fueled power plants are actually much greater than that from incineration of MSW.... In all actuality, the worst air pollutants from incineration plants are nitrogen dioxide and dioxins/furans. Nitrogen dioxide results from improper combustion, and dioxins/furans result from chlorine compounds bound up in the fuel itself, such as certain plastics.

  • @CptFitzgerald

    @CptFitzgerald

    28 күн бұрын

    ​@@user-dj7wv5ok2x ​thnx industrial millitary complex. you've been incredibly helpful in our journey of understanding. You completely missed the filtering measures in the video. what are your creditentials other than youtube armchair coach?

  • @volkhen0
    @volkhen0 Жыл бұрын

    My greatest respect for Japanese people who are so disciplined. When I see how people sort their trash in Poland I want to cry.

  • @elainejohnson796

    @elainejohnson796

    6 ай бұрын

    You've hit the nail on the head with the word 'disciplined'. They don't infantilise this issue or make excuses for their people.

  • @gemmameidia8438

    @gemmameidia8438

    Ай бұрын

    My friend who is now work in japan, really loves living there compared to indonesia because of clean there and how kind the neighbours are. When he comeback to Indonesia once in a while he kinda annoyed with how ppl throw trash everywhere here, like you will see a pile of trash next to the road and how impatience ppl here is.

  • @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    28 күн бұрын

    ​@@elainejohnson796Except when it comes to their WW2 history; then they generate all manner of excuses and rationalizations, even going so far as to blame their victims!!

  • @HotarusLens
    @HotarusLens Жыл бұрын

    I lived and worked in Saga and absolutely adore it. It is an amazing place full of great people. I miss it every day.

  • @ltdees2362

    @ltdees2362

    Жыл бұрын

    ...so...move back...

  • @HotarusLens

    @HotarusLens

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ltdees2362 I'm going to guess you don't have perspective on the complexities of career, family, and living abroad. Not to mention different priorities at different phases of one's life.

  • @etherdog
    @etherdog Жыл бұрын

    Greg, you answered my questions from the last video on waste you did, so thanks! We appreciate the intellectual honesty you bring to your projects.

  • @zacharykelsey666
    @zacharykelsey666 Жыл бұрын

    I really enjoyed this video. The way you describe the facts is informative, yet acknowledges that you are open to learning more information on the topic. It felt like a conversation rather than a debate.

  • @davidm2645
    @davidm26457 ай бұрын

    I like how clean the area looks. They take great pride in their surroundings. The trucks are even clean and look new.

  • @tomg5516
    @tomg5516 Жыл бұрын

    I think making the best use of a byproduct of a necessary process is an admirable thing.

  • @WhymsicallyMade
    @WhymsicallyMade Жыл бұрын

    I love this channel so much! Actual information about Japan! Even the parts of Japan most people don’t talk about.

  • @jenna637
    @jenna637 Жыл бұрын

    those garbage trucks are SOO clean (and adorable looking)

  • @bradschultz3358
    @bradschultz3358 Жыл бұрын

    Japanese always do things better than we do ! Really impressive

  • @_DixonCider

    @_DixonCider

    Жыл бұрын

    Please clarify.

  • @Daniel_0778

    @Daniel_0778

    Жыл бұрын

    You believe this, Sh*t? 🤣🤣 They clearly will just throw their garbage to third world country.. I mean they even use plastic for a single banana, what they did with does plastic? You think they recycle it? Most plastic non-recyclable.. Live in reality please!! Stop believe in weird thing!!

  • @invictus1180

    @invictus1180

    Жыл бұрын

    Heh, not war apparently

  • @valkrider100

    @valkrider100

    8 ай бұрын

    This was being done in Chicago back in the 60’s and 70’s . Most of the trash was incinerated to produce steam which was sold to Companies to use in making their products( Brach Candies ran their company on steam provided by the city). Initially the incinerators were to use the steam to produce electricity but before that could happen the EPA stepped in and shut down all the plants and now everything gets buried. Way to go government beauracracy!!

  • @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    28 күн бұрын

    ​@@invictus1180I'm not too sure about that one; what continues to get under my skin is the fact that none of them apologized for their WW2 atrocities, but continue to blame their victims!!

  • @clintromine802
    @clintromine802 Жыл бұрын

    I’ve been saying for a long time that we need to burn more bury less. Even in Canada there are less & less areas for land fills. Yes compost & yes recycle & yes reuse. But they shouldn’t make a product if it can’t be fully recycled or reused over & over.

  • @juliashireen6195

    @juliashireen6195

    Жыл бұрын

    I have to concur with ye, Clint

  • @sayfolman7752

    @sayfolman7752

    Жыл бұрын

    It Okay Just Import It To Other Country In Middle East And South African That Your Gov Did All This Time By The Way Asean Dont Accept Garbage From Your Country And American Allied Anymore Special Quote By Former Philippines President Take Back Your Garbage Eat It If You Can,Stop Sending Your Garbage To Us

  • @MalawisLilleKanal

    @MalawisLilleKanal

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes. Materials that are easy to recycle into new products should be recycled into new products. The surplus and materials that are hard to recycle should be burned. As time goes by, one should encourage use of materials that are easy to recycle. That way one can increase the percentage that becomes new products and reduce the need for burning.

  • @jfederle1872
    @jfederle1872 Жыл бұрын

    Great video! I appreciate all the very complex topics you cover and your efforts in putting out balanced content. Thank you!🌺

  • @TomFly83
    @TomFly83 Жыл бұрын

    I've been waiting for this video! It's great how the power plant is an integral part of the local agriculture and entertainment infrastructure. Great video :)

  • @joecanis484
    @joecanis484 Жыл бұрын

    I wish America would adopt many of Japan's industrial practices and social norms. Japan has much to be admired.

  • @southcoastinventors6583

    @southcoastinventors6583

    Жыл бұрын

    We have 72 incinerators in the US but most of them are old so they either operate at to low of temperature to burn all the the bad exhaust products away or do not scrub the exhaust well enough. To bad we will never do the way the Japanese do because of the red tape.

  • @rikmichaels9233

    @rikmichaels9233

    Жыл бұрын

    @@southcoastinventors6583No it’s not because of regulation, America won’t do this because our corporate oligarchy all leaders don’t change what makes them most profits

  • @tomhenry897

    @tomhenry897

    8 ай бұрын

    We already dump in the ocean

  • @pikachuchujelly7628

    @pikachuchujelly7628

    7 ай бұрын

    The culture in the US is pretty much the polar opposite of Japan, unfortunately. No chance of that happening.

  • @oldtwinsna8347

    @oldtwinsna8347

    2 ай бұрын

    There is massive land in the US vs Japan to which it is cheaper to bury waste in massive landfills. There's also a lot of fake recycling that goes on - you will see the recycle bins but often the waste management companies just combine them all together with some token recycling going on for photo shoots.

  • @drivestowork
    @drivestowork3 ай бұрын

    Very interesting! Who knew trash disposal could be made so interesting!? ps. Fly ash from coal fired power plants in Nebraska and Iowa is air-dropped on ice jams on the Missouri River between the two states in spring to help speed melting to prevent/reduce flooding.

  • @Hoolysegoo
    @Hoolysegoo Жыл бұрын

    This is a wonderfully informative video. I find this stuff to be fascinating, especially when I am in an area that largely doesn't recycle, so it's fun to see what else the world does when they are more environmentally conscious and have less land to just dump whatever they want!

  • @LionOfJudah613
    @LionOfJudah613 Жыл бұрын

    I recently moved to Saga City so this really is showing Life Where I'm From! It was cool getting to see exactly what happens to the trash I sort and put out in the crow-proof trash shed at my apartment according to the schedule I got when I moved in.

  • @puirYorick
    @puirYorick8 ай бұрын

    We need to reduce waste not just change the demand for waste or switch the composition of the waste to another material. Supermarkets stopped offering paper or plastic to sell more durable carrier bags made from recycled plastic but there's no return stream for excess ones. I now have several dozen accumulated from grocery deliveries since the lockdown. I don't mind keeping a few for future use but I will never need as many as I now own. It's hard to think of a way to repurpose them. At least the old disposable ones made decent kitchen bin bags.

  • @adithwp
    @adithwp Жыл бұрын

    Just the right moment for me to have you upload this kind of content (I just moved to Japan for the past two weeks).

  • @henrikchristensen8458
    @henrikchristensen84588 ай бұрын

    in denmark we sort garbage too, mostly like shown here, but we also sort food scraps, that goes to a separate container, and then it's collected and put in a chamber, and the gas from the rotting proces, is collected and used to heat homes.

  • @kenderareawesome
    @kenderareawesome8 ай бұрын

    One of the different things we do in the UK is we have a bin for garden waste. I used to work this route and after we had finished collecting it we would take it to a farm and they would use it to make compost.

  • @mouadchaiabi
    @mouadchaiabi Жыл бұрын

    Great video as always, Greg. Keep the quality content coming. 🙏🏼❤️

  • @uss_04
    @uss_04 Жыл бұрын

    Always been curious about Japan’s trash sorting procedures. Thanks for the interesting video!

  • @audiencemember26008
    @audiencemember26008 Жыл бұрын

    Great video on the business of garbage disposal again!! I really like these videos and being educated on this. Thank you!

  • @ObsessedWithDogs
    @ObsessedWithDogs Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting topic and video! It's interesting to see how certain things are handled in Japan.

  • @TeeBoyd88
    @TeeBoyd88 Жыл бұрын

    That was so nice of the workers to take your camera inside. Another well balanced video.

  • @LifeWhereImFrom
    @LifeWhereImFrom Жыл бұрын

    This video pairs with my previous one about whether or not Japan has a plastic problem kzread.info/dash/bejne/eIlqudGghpm7dco.html What do you think about the incineration process used in Japan?

  • @Hoolysegoo

    @Hoolysegoo

    Жыл бұрын

    I've never heard of a CO2 storage facility, and didn't even know that such a thing was possible. It's time for me to go do some research on how it is collected.

  • @kodekabuki

    @kodekabuki

    Жыл бұрын

    How much energy is spent to do the incineration vs how much energy does the incineration produce?

  • @edwardfletcher7790

    @edwardfletcher7790

    Жыл бұрын

    I love these "everyday jobs" videos you make, thank you 👍🏻😁

  • @wraitholme

    @wraitholme

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kodekabuki Depends on the plant design, and the nature of the waste does seem to adjust the output. Wikipedia links to a source that estimates about 500kWh per ton of waste net.

  • @zam023

    @zam023

    Жыл бұрын

    I visited the Kusatsu city clean center a few weeks ago. It looked more or less the same as the one in Saga you showed in this video. The garbage pit in particular looked the same. In Kusatsu we also have special bags for garbage separation, and it is provided free by the city. We use a coupon system to collect the bags from conbini. Altogether they are 3 types of bags: Plastics (Red), PET (Green) and Burnable (Blue). Our bags are twice the size than the ones you showed and are transparent, so you can see what is inside the bags. The clean center produces enough power to run itself and extra power are sold to the nearby community. The clean center also sales plastic and PET to companies who use them to make recycled products.

  • @DHuongLeHuynh
    @DHuongLeHuynh Жыл бұрын

    I absolutely live your episodes on trash and waste collection 🥰🥰 Thank you

  • @donscheid97
    @donscheid97 Жыл бұрын

    Recycling is ... not what it is advertised to be. Often, the material is simply sent from the sorting facility to the landfill. My county incinerates garbage but does not recover any benefits like electricity and I believe it was recently shut down or at least reduced because of it's age. The ash is covered at a site of about 20 acres. Big difference from Chicago that has a landfill of several square miles. Awesome video and I am not surprised it is in Japan, the masters of efficiency.

  • @hewhohasnoidentity4377

    @hewhohasnoidentity4377

    Жыл бұрын

    The problem in the US is that for plastic recycling to be possible requires every individual putting items in the system to follow the rules. The entire production line has to be of the same type of plastic with no food scraps, no paper, no glass or metals. No food wrapper plastic can go with soda bottles. The plastic recycling stream can only be a specific type of plastic and nothing else. The recycling process depends on all of the materials being able to be manipulated with a known process to create a known result. The reason China and most other places began refusing US recyclables is that nothing we were sending was capable of being recycled. That is why it goes to landfill. Unfortunately, even in locations where people are sorting at the transfer stations, much of that is for show. Even with the best of intentions, the majority will not be recycled because allowing any imperfections to pass through can cause millions in damages. On the other hand, the aluminum can industry is designed for easy recycling throughout the supply chain. Glass can be recycled with some contamination but not as efficient as if it was clean. I do like how the Japanese sort out the most common plastic, PET, to give it the best chance to actually be recycled. As for the US not usually capturing benefits from incinerating waste, that is the design of the regulatory and business structure. The waste is handled by for profit corporations and a set of regulators. The energy is handled by a different set of for profit corporations and their own regulators. There is too much risk and nearly no chance of reward for trying to integrate.

  • @MalawisLilleKanal

    @MalawisLilleKanal

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hewhohasnoidentity4377 This is why a bottle-refund works so great in countries that uses it. You pay, say 20c extra when you purchase the bottle, and get 20c back when returning it. That way you get a waste-stream where you know exactly what's coming into it and can recycle the materials. Even if all the materials cannot be recycled into new products, it's much easier to handle a known/uniform waste-stream for energy or landfill.

  • @aimeem

    @aimeem

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hewhohasnoidentity4377 Way to go blaming it on the consumers. The main problem is that *even if consumers do everything 100% right* virgin material is often cheaper and easier to use, so manufacturers go for that instead. Until that issue is solved plastics recycling will always be a problem.

  • @TravelingSoloLogs
    @TravelingSoloLogs Жыл бұрын

    Interesting topic, you always have great quality videos! Keep it coming! 😃👍

  • @ButacuPpucatuB
    @ButacuPpucatuB Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for sharing an informative vid. I appreciate the time and effort you put in to do your research in order to produce a wonderful video. 🧡🧡🧡🧡

  • @crcsupport3977
    @crcsupport3977 Жыл бұрын

    What a amazing, even the truck is very clean and shine

  • @MikeTrieu
    @MikeTrieu Жыл бұрын

    I'd like to hear more about exactly what "chemically treating" the fly ash entails, especially because it is so toxic. If it ends up in their landfills, if the end product isn't chemically inert, it will just create a leach plume that will contaminate ground water (usually in the neighboring poorer communities).

  • @dustyfox6511

    @dustyfox6511

    Жыл бұрын

    Look up a paper called "Immobilization of fly ash from MSW incinerators and ash-melting furnaces", it covers some of the more interesting details. They basically powder treat it and chemically age it so decrease the leach rate. It's not zero, but it's far less than some of the problems historically recorded by storing pure fly ash.

  • @Fractal227

    @Fractal227

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dustyfox6511 thanks for the answer, i have also been thinking what Mike were, i will try and find this paper.

  • @Daniel_0778

    @Daniel_0778

    Жыл бұрын

    This video just buls*it!! We all know they will send their garbage to third world country🥱🥱

  • @Fractal227

    @Fractal227

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Daniel_0778 maybe your country are that bad, dont automatically drag us fown to your standards

  • @Daniel_0778

    @Daniel_0778

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Fractal227 I not drag others down, it just fact.. If japan already know how to recycle all plastic, you think people will still use paper bag? Or people go crazy campaign about how dangerous is it?? People will still use paper straw or metal straw? Be logic brooooo!!🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

  • @wilsons2882
    @wilsons28829 ай бұрын

    this is a great vid. thanks for the effort. this is valuable.

  • @giovannifiorentino8947
    @giovannifiorentino8947 Жыл бұрын

    Complete content. At the end you answered the questions a was accumulating along the footage.

  • @pattherealdeal608
    @pattherealdeal608 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for making these videos

  • @mrcurmudgeon2u
    @mrcurmudgeon2u Жыл бұрын

    Excellent video! Thank you for the information.

  • @jtan885
    @jtan885 Жыл бұрын

    I love this video so much. It is teaching me what happens when trash are incinerated and how much less green house gas is produced compare to landfill method. Thanks

  • @BruceThomson
    @BruceThomson26 күн бұрын

    Excellently sensible and reasonable coverage of the incineration issue.

  • @johndoyle4723
    @johndoyle4723 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for raising all the for and against arguments. I ran a recycling plant and did my best to make it as efficient and cost effective as possible. However protesters accused me of being too efficient and cost effective, and that encouraged the waste producers to keep making waste, and that if I did not run the facility the waste producers would have to modify their process, and produce less or no waste. Sometimes you cannot win. I was also involved with incineration, still very controversial.

  • @ashcross
    @ashcross Жыл бұрын

    Another fascinating video! Thank you.

  • @Naylato41
    @Naylato418 ай бұрын

    thank you. that was very informative.

  • @jessicaneng5615
    @jessicaneng5615 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for these videos about the critical infrastructure of a well-functioning society. Without the essential work of snow collection and recycling, we would have a less efficient society. We shouldn't take our infrastructure for granted. It's important for everyone.

  • @mitchellrogers9586
    @mitchellrogers958629 күн бұрын

    This is a great explanation of how the system works!

  • @summerbaby4600
    @summerbaby4600 Жыл бұрын

    They don’t call burning plastic thermal recycling anymore, but “thermal recovery”.

  • @nicoletan9875
    @nicoletan98758 ай бұрын

    i am impressed by their discipline

  • @anjo93
    @anjo938 ай бұрын

    I love to see where sweden and Japan is a bit like each other. But yes it is always something that can be better in both Sweden and Japan. Like making less garbage and find new ways to renew and recycle plastic, wood, paper, clothes, cars and more. And I wish that other countries start too take more care of the garbage, the nature, there people and so on.

  • @sdas7731
    @sdas7731 Жыл бұрын

    Great video. Thank you for your effort.

  • @CommissionerLofi
    @CommissionerLofi8 ай бұрын

    Love the thermal recycling.

  • @NicholleChristineEdwards
    @NicholleChristineEdwards8 ай бұрын

    Wonderful fresh approach 🇯🇵 Japan ♻️🌍 👏🏻👏🏻

  • @moritod
    @moritodАй бұрын

    I live close to a large landfill in the US. Next to it is what's called a "superfund" site. In other words, a place so toxic that the Feds had to get involved to try to clean it up. On the one side is the garbage for one part of the city, just dumped, no sorting, nothing. We have a recycling program that picks up once every 2 weeks, but most of it is dumped right back in the landfill with most people none the wiser. The other side is where DuPont, General Electric, the Feds themselves (most notably the Army) and even the Zoo dump their problems. Most notably, radioactive waste was dumped there from bomb making components. It used to be in the middle of nowhere, but as the city grew, they built houses right up to the fence of both of them. I shared this story only to tell you what an amazing thing it is to see how Japan addresses the same issue. I'm pretty sure the sorting would drive me utterly insane. Especially if I had to put my name on my bags! Even so, having seen the American alternative, if it was a community effort I'd really, really try.

  • @jonathanravenhilllloyd2070
    @jonathanravenhilllloyd20708 ай бұрын

    I feel like we shouldn't allow non-recyclable and non-home-compostible packaging anywhere. If a product is for the non-industrial anyone should be able to recycle or home-compost the packaging.

  • @Lucky14970
    @Lucky14970 Жыл бұрын

    2:12 You gotta love Japan... They even have specific bags for super radiated sea monsters and transformers if they ever make it off the big screen!! Japanese, they really do think of everything, don't they?!

  • @AndiFalihM
    @AndiFalihM Жыл бұрын

    Very well explained video about recycling Garbage

  • @slapyoknees2426
    @slapyoknees24263 ай бұрын

    I like how Japan is so particular about cleanliness that they make sure even their garbage trucks are immaculate.

  • @nunodeazevedo
    @nunodeazevedo Жыл бұрын

    As always, great video. 👌

  • @subliminalman
    @subliminalman Жыл бұрын

    Great video! Thank you for pointing out the demand problem of the equation where plastic supply is incentivized to keep up the ability to burn. Plastic consumption in general needs to go down and to make up for energy demands find cleaner methods of generation and storage.

  • @robinr3666
    @robinr3666 Жыл бұрын

    I also live in a place that incinerates (Singapore) and it makes sense here. So I'm mostly pro incineration. But let's call a spade a spade. It's incineration, not recycling of any kind. Thermal recycling is a marketing term.

  • @nicoletan9875

    @nicoletan9875

    8 ай бұрын

    the way Japanese use CO2 for farming ....can be considered for vertical farming here too

  • @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    28 күн бұрын

    You're extracting usable thermal energy; that COULD be termed "recycling" in a sense....

  • @aoume05
    @aoume05 Жыл бұрын

    I love this! As always, Greg is excellent! I'm an environmental engineer and I really enjoyed your "presentation" :D

  • @ItsMeAnn628
    @ItsMeAnn628 Жыл бұрын

    Great info and quite entertaining, thx!

  • @jenniferlee8176
    @jenniferlee8176 Жыл бұрын

    Very informative!

  • @Melicoy
    @Melicoy7 ай бұрын

    Very well done

  • @jelambertson
    @jelambertson9 ай бұрын

    Not far away from Japan there are lots of countries that throw everything right into the rivers, the lakes, and the ocean.

  • @contactkelvinsim
    @contactkelvinsim23 күн бұрын

    I'm amaze how much packaging Japan has for their food but somehow the streets are spotless without any garbage bins. Everyone seems to bring home the trash.

  • @dans.8334
    @dans.8334 Жыл бұрын

    I always look forward to your videos Greg. Learning about Japan and the culture, people, and day to day life is also educational and fascinating. So excited to study there next year!

  • @AllocatorsAsia

    @AllocatorsAsia

    Жыл бұрын

    They're just so pleasant hey! Bloody love 'em

  • @whiqeddik7615
    @whiqeddik76157 ай бұрын

    Awesome, thanks for this

  • @robsilveria2729
    @robsilveria2729Ай бұрын

    As a Sustainable Energy Research LLC Japan is one of the best places to Research Sustainability applications! Thank you for sharing. Msoltec Energy Research LLC

  • @MadelineRose-ep7fj
    @MadelineRose-ep7fj7 ай бұрын

    I loved in Japan during the 1980's and was amazed by community recycling at that time. Solar panels were already in use. Witnessed the "throw-away" growth at the late 80's. Just recently watched a documentary on German and Norwegian technology with which Saga is probably based upon. Recycling of metals and the different plastics was quite advanced. Would like to see how large Japanese companies support recycling. 😊❤

  • @scottkew6278
    @scottkew6278 Жыл бұрын

    We used to do all of that sorting for recycling week. Once a month on a Saturday we took our recycled things down to a field where there were several dumpsters. Magazines had to separated from newspapers and waxed papers separated from all other papers. Plastic bottles stripped of rings and labels. Everything had to be washed. This was in 1969 in Marin County California.

  • @michaelbrooks9462
    @michaelbrooks94627 ай бұрын

    The argument against this are crazy because what are the options let trash build up or end up in land fill. Also pumping the Co2 near large wooded areas would be best or for use in food production. As a kid I did an experiment for food production where I had a C02 rich environment vs normal conditions. It worked great. I later found out that major research had been done on this and trees absorb most of the Co2. This also speeds up the growth quite considerably. So imagine and artificial Forest set up where you did pipe lines and had logging of older trees for construction.

  • @catlerbatty

    @catlerbatty

    3 ай бұрын

    Increased CO2 reduces the lifespan of trees. Don't do half assed researches next time.

  • @michaelbrooks9462

    @michaelbrooks9462

    3 ай бұрын

    @@catlerbatty what resources says that plants exposed to more co2 hurts them? even if it shortens the life span they grow faster so plants don’t reproduce at all. That’s stupid argument. And if they grow faster then that would increase its use for substantial forestry.

  • @catlerbatty

    @catlerbatty

    3 ай бұрын

    @@michaelbrooks9462 Stop arguing with actual research dude. Increased co2 makes them use more water and nutrients from the ground resulting in droughts and makes them prone to wildfires. There is no magic pill to fix pollution except cutting it out entirely.

  • @dallassegno
    @dallassegno Жыл бұрын

    I love so much that people are solving all the problems for me

  • @mikecsj1
    @mikecsj16 ай бұрын

    This is the cleanest rubbish-handling facility I have ever seen.

  • @user-hx5vp8fh7z
    @user-hx5vp8fh7z2 ай бұрын

    Very informative thank you my life in Japan

  • @whatfireflies
    @whatfireflies Жыл бұрын

    The only thing I felt was missing when I lived in Japan was the separation of compostable organic waste. Making compost (basically fertilizer) from kitchen waste is an efficient and environmentally friendly process and I'm surprised the Japanese don't employ it. In my country (Italy) every municipality does it. In any case, their system of burnable / recyclable / other waste makes a lot of sense and the rules were not hard to follow at all. I was a bit worried about the exhaust from the burning, because I know the Japanese don't have the strictest environmental regulations (see their amounts of food additives / pesticides) but if properly handled, "thermally recycling" burnable waste makes a lot of sense and I'm not against it.

  • @benfsinger
    @benfsinger Жыл бұрын

    This video looks amazing. Great sharpness and depth of field. New camera? Some of the done footage actually looked like CGI - almost too perfect!

  • @Harshal......

    @Harshal......

    8 ай бұрын

    What If we compress this collected waste and without more treatment put this compressed cubes into our filling material needed to form base of buildings like plinth filling or say where we put soft rocks for filling purpose if we dump that garbage I think we might save those soft rocks.......

  • @mauriman2210
    @mauriman22108 ай бұрын

    Onya bro_ a cool presentation👍

  • @bluerisk
    @bluerisk Жыл бұрын

    In Germany it is quite similar - and strict - only to have a huge amount lumped together and burned in incineration facilities (over 40%).

  • @lilyfeng6598
    @lilyfeng6598Ай бұрын

    They don’t have a garbage bins along the street, bus stops. Very few garbage bins at railway stations is very inconvenient 😢

  • @firstnamesurname1743
    @firstnamesurname17438 ай бұрын

    Great video and about as balanced as you could hope to be.

  • @rabsrealm
    @rabsrealm3 ай бұрын

    This is quite common in most of the UK too. In Scotland, I have different bins for paper and cardboard, glass bottles, cans, plastics, compostable food waste, garden waste and general refuse. Most of our refuse is recycled or composted and the little that is left goes to landfill. None of it is burned.

  • @crawkn
    @crawkn9 ай бұрын

    Burning trash isn't ideal, but the only alternatives are landfills and recycling. Since recycling of many materials isn't cost effective, the majority goes in landfills, which still pollute and emit large amounts of greenhouse gasses, some of which are worse than CO2. In the future I hope they will regulate what sorts of materials may be used to increase the amount of recyclables. Obviously Japan doesn't have a lot of unused land which can be devoted to landfills, so safe burning is probably best. It does save a lot of fuel, and when you import all your fuel, that matters a lot.

  • @byronmillanicia3384
    @byronmillanicia33849 ай бұрын

    What a Difference between societies, In. My country El Salvador, people are against building proper landfills, they prefer to dispose of their trash in rivers or fluvial channels!!! Education is such an important part of any society .

  • @donhutton2641
    @donhutton26413 ай бұрын

    I remember as a child in Canada. Apartment buildings used to burn their own garbage. That ended.

  • @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    @user-dj7wv5ok2x

    28 күн бұрын

    What a damned shame! I remember those days. Some apartment buildings used the heat from the process to heat domestic water, while others used it to heat the common interior area. The process COULD'VE been refined to make it more environmentally friendly, but political insanity prevailed, unfortunately.

  • @andrewturnbull5897
    @andrewturnbull58979 ай бұрын

    Japan MUST explore thermal depolymerization! This would eliminate need for most separation of ANY organics and would create new oil! This can then be used as fuel with NO net CO2 production and will continue to generate the local community uses of recycling energy.

  • @kingjames4886
    @kingjames48869 ай бұрын

    I wouldint have been surprised if there was a tea ceremony surrounding the removal of trash from ones home...

  • @Kardall
    @Kardall Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating. Things you know go on but don't know how. +1 Sub for this. Simply amazing.

  • @USPHS2
    @USPHS2 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @user-pz2lt7ox1r
    @user-pz2lt7ox1r19 күн бұрын

    Think you for this video

  • @erichorsan6993
    @erichorsan6993 Жыл бұрын

    I understand that Japan has gasification plants for the burnables also. They also have a chemical recycling, different than mass burn, for plastic. Pyrolysis