＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added January 6, 2021> Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture’s “Complete Ban on Plastic Shopping Bags, Even for a Fee” Ordinance is Questionable
The above-mentioned ordinance, the first of its kind in Japan, went into effect in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture, on January 1, 2021. Major restaurants and retail chains appear to be scrambling to adapt, such as by using paper bags only at their Kameoka locations.
Under the ordinance, even plastic bags containing 25% or more biomass plastic, which the national government allows for free distribution, cannot be provided, and even paper bags must be charged for. If businesses that violate this ordinance fail to improve after on-site inspections and warnings by the city, the city will begin the process of disclosing their names starting in June.
This is clearly an overreaction, and can only be described as a “misguided, rampant plastic hatred.”
Starting in July of this year (2020), department stores, drugstores, and convenience stores will finally be required to charge for plastic bags. It seems like charging for plastic bags at supermarkets and other stores has already become established.
However, I have doubts about this move. I have previously written articles on “Solutions to the Plastic Waste Problem” and “The Problem of Removing PET Bottles from Vending Machines,” so please take a look.
1. The Problems with Charging for Plastic Bags
I believe that charging for plastic bags will not fundamentally solve the plastic waste problem.
Polyethylene is an inevitable product of the petroleum refining process at ethylene plants, and plastic products such as plastic bags and plastic bottles can be considered an effective use of this material.
Plastic bags are inexpensive and, after being used as shopping bags, can also be used as garbage bags, making them very convenient. Treating them as a “bad thing” is putting the cart before the horse.
Furthermore, plastic bags (grocery bags) are estimated to account for approximately 2% of the plastic waste generated in Japan annually. According to a 2016 survey of beach waste conducted by the Ministry of the Environment at 10 locations across Japan, plastic bags, including shopping bags, accounted for just 0.3% of plastic waste by volume, and tableware such as straws and forks accounted for only 0.5%. Industrial products such as fishing nets and ropes (26.2%) and polystyrene buoys (14.9%) accounted for a high proportion, while beverage bottles accounted for 12.7% of household items.
The current trend seems to be “seeing the trees but not the forest,” where people leave the big holes in a bucket (in China and Southeast Asia) unrepaired while trying hard to repair the small holes (in developed countries like Japan). As a result, water leaks (marine plastic pollution) hardly improve.
I don’t think that charging for plastic bags, which only increases the profits of department stores and drugstores while imposing a financial burden on consumers, is the right policy.
If we are going to charge for plastic shopping bags out of consideration for environmental issues, I think we should first make environmentally friendly bags available for free.
In relation to environmental issues, I also have doubts about global warming countermeasures. I wrote a previous article on global warming countermeasures, so please take a look.
I believe that this “plastic shopping bag charge” policy should be reviewed for its effectiveness, drawbacks, and problems within one year at the latest. If it turns out to be a mysterious or excessive COVID-19 countermeasure, it should be immediately discontinued, with the understanding that “we should not hesitate to correct our mistakes.”
2. Contents of the Container Recycling Law Amendment
(1) What is the Container Recycling Law?
This law, enacted in 1995 and enacted in 1997, aims to recycle (recycle) plastic bottles, plastic bags, bottles, and other container and packaging waste and effectively utilize resources. Its official name is the “Act on Promotion of Separate Collection and Recycling of Container and Packaging.”
Based on this law, the practice of separating household waste into “general waste,” “recyclable waste,” and “non-burnable waste” has already become established.
Plastic waste is collected and separated by local governments and handed over to recycling businesses through the Japan Container and Packaging Recycling Association.
(2) Contents of the Container Recycling Law Amendment
① Introduction of measures to encourage businesses to reduce waste by requiring retailers that use a large amount of plastic bags and other container and packaging to take measures such as charging for plastic bags and distributing reusable bags.
② Establishment of a system for providing funds to municipalities based on the degree to which businesses contribute to the rationalization of recycling efforts by the municipality.
③ Ensuring fairness among businesses through strengthened penalties.
④ Clarification of national policies for smooth recycling.