Japanese city will now publicly shame people who break bin separation rules
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Residents in Fukushima need to ensure their rubbish is properly sorted, or face the consequences. Residents of a Japanese city may have to endure being publicly named and shamed if they do not follow the rules around bin separation. Japan’s strict waste disposal regulations can sometimes seem confusing, but those in Fukushima have been told they must work harder to ensure they do not make mistakes.
![[Japan is known for its extremely meticulous garbage disposal system, with the rubbish all separated into categories like burnable, non-burnable, recyclable, and organic waste]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/20/11/gettyimages-1807500920-612x612.jpg)
Under the current system, rubbish collectors place yellow “violation stickers” on bin bags that don’t have properly segregated waste. Residents whose bags contain the warning sticker have to bring them back inside their homes and sort them again before the next collection date.
![[Members of the Spain team carry plastic bags containing rubbish during the final stage of the SPOGOMI World Cup 2023 in Tokyo]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/20/11/gettyimages-1807502055-612x612.jpg)
However, under the new rules set to commence in March, the Fukushima Municipal Government will place a red sticker to mark improperly sorted rubbish. If it remains unaddressed for a week, city officials will be authorised to inspect the bags to identify the culprits using their mail and other items. Offenders will be given verbal instructions to correct their mistake, followed by a written notice – and if both fail, the violators will have their names published on the official municipal government website.
While some cities in Japan, including Kyoto and Sasebo in the Nagasaki Prefecture, conduct inspections of rubbish bags and disclose the names of offending businesses, Fukushima is the first to do the same to individual residents. To address concerns about the government invading citizens’ privacy, city officials have said the inspections will take place in a private space with no third party presence, and that “there is nothing illegal about publicising malicious waste generators who do not abide by the rules and do not follow the city’s guidance and advisory,” reported The Mainichi.
