Difference in what we see on the street, Part 2

In our previous post, we talked about discarded Christmas trees and pedestrian behaviors as what we observe on the street in New York City and Nagoya.  We would like to talk about trash this time.

Do you know that the City of Nagoya has much fewer garbage cans on the street than NYC?  As a serious effort to reduce garbage, Nagoya City has decreased the number of garbage cans available on the street.  

Fewer garbage cans mean that the citizens have to carry their trash, instead of throwing it in a nearby can, to their house, where they are expected to separate garbage (e.g., burnable, recycling milk cartons, aluminum cans and plasticl bottles, over-sized garbage, and so on...).   Because Nagoyans are pretty orderly, this "reduce garbage" scheme the City has implemented seems to be working.  Nagoyans, in general, follow the rules, which contributes to much cleaner streets than those in NYC.

Here are some tips for a situation.  Sometimes, you do not want to carry an empty drink bottle or can all the way to your destination.  Or you would like to get rid of something immediately, such as tissue used to blow your nose, instead of carrying it in your purse or bag.

You can throw empty drink bottles or cans in a garbage can standing next to a vending machine.  You COULD throw other kinds of trash in garbage cans standing in front of convenience stores (shown in the picture).  Since both beverage vending machines and convenience stores are ubiquitous on the street, you would not have any difficulty in disposing of these kinds of trash.

However, just keep it in mind that this trick is for an emergency only.  You have to separate trash into the garbage cans on the site of convenience stores and that you are NOT supposed to throw YOUR trash, not what you get from the store, into these stores' garbage cans.


Another merit of having fewer garbage cans on the street is that we seldom see something very disgusting inside: spit and throw-up.  Compared to certain areas in NYC, where people spit into garbage cans as well as onto the pavement, Nagoyans do not generally spit on the street, and nor do so in garbage cans.  However, against their will unfortunately some people may witness those who are immoral.

In general, not only people in the sanitation department but those who look for newspapers and magazines inside the cans are less likely to be grossed out with nasty mucus and digested stomach contents.  Nor do pedestrians have to inhale nasty smell emitted from garbage cans in Nagoya.

Would you like to look into a garbage can near you to see if you are lucky enough to find the last thing you would like to encounter?

Another post on Vending Machines may interest you!!
Continued to Part 3....


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