Three separate places I went to at 8 in the morning. Gas station, dunkin’ donuts, and then a convenience store. All of them, trash is full. People wonder why they litter in the USA, there’s nowhere to throw away trash when you’re out. It’s unbelievable People can just go to work and choose not to do their job anymore. That people see this and they don’t have any problem with it, no interest at all to keep things neat and tidy and clean. Nope.
In Japan it’s almost impossible to find a trash can on the streets and yet people don’t litter. The problem is the culture centered around consumerism and waste.
This. Throwing your trash on the ground because you can’t find a trash can amounts to childish entitlement in my eyes.
No trash cans in the forest, is OP saying they just litter all through nature when they go camping?
they just litter all through nature when they go camping
Many americans do just that, yes. :'(
A lot of people do…
With respect to Japan, there’s definitely a culture difference, but I don’t think it’s the consumerism/waste culture. There’s so much excess packaging in Japanese food products.
Yeah, but do they wolf down a half pound of meat plus fried potatoes and a half gallon of sugar water four times a day in Japan?
Possibly, where are you going with this?
Smaller portions creates exponentially less waste. It also isn’t frequently greasy western fast food waste that is inconvenient to carry around for any period of time.
Like I wouldn’t mind carrying around a paper wrapper from a nice sandwich place, but fast food waste is greasy and likely to leak.
Dude, larger portions have less packaging, just because of the square-cube law. I’m actually having trouble thinking of a counterexample, even.
Larger portions need less wrapping per lb, but more overall packaging than a smaller item. You know, like how more filling requires a bigger tortilla.
You are also missing the point about the multiple, larger, individually packaged parts. Like how one container from a sit down restaurant is less overall trash than a bag of multiple wrappers, ketchup packets, and a cup from fast food.
Also, the grease.
East Asia loves individually packaged everything. Americans would need to eat ridiculously more food to beat them, just by quantity like you’re suggesting. They do eat a bit more, on average, but not that much - and the gap is closing.
I swear there are less garbage cans in public areas now than 15 years ago. It’s probably my fault for for doing quick car cleans and dumping at every gas station and retail store.
Side note: garbage is expensive these days
Bro I remember in Japan there were almost no trash cans anywhere. We fuckin lucky here
All you need is a can return policy and some homeless.
They don’t even have that, they just have seperate bins for cans and bottles and people use them, and the only public places to throw away trash are in convenience stores. Which tbf exist like every 400m.
There are exceptions but generally people just keep the city clean because they want to (and social pressure).
Bottle/can deposit system can do a lot to make bins less full though. Japan just doesn’t seem to need it.
So what you’re saying is there actually are bins fairly regularly, just indoors?
Yea pretty much. I have no idea if going inside just to throw stuff away is considered ok (always felt a bit weird) but for the most part it’s not too bad to find a place to throw stuff away.
