TOKYO - Streets littered with heaps of garbage, even spilling onto the opposite sidewalks, have become a pressing issue in Kamata, Tokyo, where local eateries line the streets.
The problem centers around the dedicated waste collection areas, intended for temporarily storage of waste from eateries. Unauthorized dumping of household waste makes it difficult to identify the perpetrators, especially as the dumping often occurs at night or dawn. Consequently, private waste disposal from a collection area incurs an extra monthly costs of about 200,000 yen.
To identify the culprits, a team installed a camera near the waste collection area. Footage captured a man, believed to be an employee of a different building's eatery, disposing of waste. Upon questioning, an employee from the same eatery admitted to occasionally dumping waste there because "everyone does it."
However, such actions could be considered illegal dumping. During the interview with local residents, another man was seen throwing a garbage bag from his bicycle into the collection area. He confessed to disposing of household waste, which could have been collected for free, thereby inadvertently causing the building to incur paid disposal costs.
Takashi Matsukuma, an attorney from Hashimoto General Law Office, explained that such acts violate the Waste Management Law, potentially leading to a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 10 million yen. Responsibility falls on the individual if they can be identified; otherwise, it may be attributed to those managing the area.
