Can You Recycle Everything?

On September 7 and 8, I took part in an environmental study tour. We went a small town in the mountains near Tokushima City called Kamikatsu. It is known for its zero-waste program. It is trying to recycle 100% of its waste. It recycles 80% now, which is much better than the national Japanese average of 20%. We wanted to know how they did it, so we visited the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. The center staff showed how the town practices the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. They separate waste into 45 different categories, and they teach people ways to make less waste. People can also leave things that they no longer need at the center for other people to use. Finally, the town recycles most waste. They still can’t recycle everything, but Kamikatsu shows that we can do better than we are doing now. (145 words)