A 'zero waste' town deep in the Japanese mountains

J-STORIES - The town of Kamikatsu, which is nestled deep in the mountains of the southern Japanese island of Shikoku, is home to around 1,500 people, many of them elderly. It is not, perhaps, the first place you’d expect to find world-leading environmental innovation.

But 20 years ago, Kamikatsu declared its intention to achieve “zero waste." It now recycles over 80 percent of its garbage, helped by a facility where residents sort items into dozens of different categories. Yet, the town tirelessly battles on to achieve its waste-free goal.

The motivation for Kamikatsu’s declaration was actually lack of funds. Local residents and businesses had been burning garbage in the open air and causing pollution. But since the town couldn’t afford an incinerator to safely burn the waste, it decided to recycle its garbage instead.

First, residents were encouraged to start turning kitchen waste into compost. Soon, they moved on to recycling other items of everyday refuse, such as cans, glass, and PET bottles. As of 2022, residents sort their waste into 45 different varieties at the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center.

Those who don’t have a car, or who are too elderly to bring their own garbage, are assisted by other residents. In this way, the initiative also helps strengthen community ties and systems of support.

There are 13 main categories of waste and 45 subcategories.     Source: Kamikatsu Town — There are 13 main categories of waste and 45 subcategories. Source: Kamikatsu Town

When it kicked off in 2003, Kamikatsu's zero waste initiative was the first of its kind in Japan. This January, it won the Grand Prize (Prime Minister’s Prize) of the Japanese government’s Community Development Awards. It has also attracted international attention. In 2019, Akira Sakano, deputy chief officer of the Kamikatsu-based NPO, Zero Waste Academy, which is involved in the town’s efforts, was chosen as a co-chair at Davos 2019 (the meeting of the World Economic Forum).

Kamikatsu is also using its zero waste fame to promote ecotourism. Visitors to the town can buy unpackaged food, as well as beer made from citrus fruit that would otherwise go to waste. They can also stay in hot spas heated by biomass energy.

The town’s recycling center is built in the curved shape of a question mark, with an adjoining hotel serving as the dot. Guests can pop out to learn about the town’s efforts firsthand. The hotel itself is eco-friendly, shunning items often found in Japanese hotels, such as borrowable pajamas, or disposable toothbrushes.

The question-mark shape of the zero waste facility and hotel invites people to rethink their consumption habits.     Source: Kamikatsu Town — The question-mark shape of the zero waste facility and hotel invites people to rethink their consumption habits. Source: Kamikatsu Town

Women and young people play a prominent role in Kamikatsu’s activities. Four of the town's “Zero Waste Advocates,” who are leaders of its recycling work, are women. Meanwhile, many young people have moved to Kamikatsu from urban areas, attracted by its recycling efforts.

One of those advocates, Sonoe Fujii, told J-Stories that she expects these idealistic young people to play a greater role in the town’s future efforts. But she also pointed out that if the complicated recycling process doesn’t help the local economy, it will just be seen as a burden.

For that reason, almost 10 years ago the town launched a system of recycling “points” that residents can exchange for products. The town is also working hard to educate children about its key goal of reducing waste to zero by 2030.

Kamikatsu wants children to learn not only about recycling, but how not to produce waste in the first place.     Source Kamikatsu Town — Kamikatsu wants children to learn not only about recycling, but how not to produce waste in the first place. Source Kamikatsu Town

However, eliminating waste completely will be difficult for the town to achieve by itself, and this is one reason for the town extending its original goal of zero waste by 2020. There is still waste that is prohibitively expensive to recycle because it contains multiple materials, such as frying pan lids or vacuum flasks. The town tries to reuse such items, but nonetheless they have a finite lifespan and break eventually.

Fujii pointed out that Japanese society as a whole needs to deal with such issues. It has to focus on educating children on how to share things, as well as not produce garbage in the first place, she said. And despite the hurdles, the town remains determined to achieve its goal.