Reducing waste during the emergency

With Japan being in a state of emergency people have been spending more time at home. This extra time at home has also meant more domestic garbage. I recently saw a report on TV that garbage collection workers are having a hard time at the moment due to the extra amount of garbage that they need to handle so I thought of ways to reduce your garbage while staying home.

Give items away or try to sell them

A lot of people use their time at home to declutter their closet or other parts of their apartment. If the things that don't "spark joy" are still in a useable condition, instead of throwing them away you could try to sell them on Mercari or at Japan's many second-hand shops. If you think that no one would pay money for these items, you can try to give them away for free on sites like Jimoty or Craiglist.

In a lot of cities in Japan you need to purchase special garbage bags to throw away trash so giving things away for free might actually save you some money.

Make your own tea

Instead of buying PET bottles, you can buy a reusable bottle at one of Japan's 100 yen stores and make your own tea. You can find tea bags at most supermarkets in Japan that you just need to put in cold water and leave for a few hours. By doing this you have fewer PET bottles to throw away and save some money as well.

Use reusable masks 

It has been difficult anyway to get disposable face masks in Japan since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, so buying or making your own reusable masks is a nice option that produces less trash.

You can create and make masks with your favourite designs and enjoy it as a new kind of fashionable item. 

By the way, when throwing away masks it is recommended to put them in a separate bag before putting them in the garbage bag so that garbage collection workers don't get exposed in case the garbage bag tears apart. 

Use your own shopping bag 

When doing grocery shopping bring your own bag so you won't have to get a plastic bag from the supermarket. Also, make sure to refuse chopsticks, spoons or other items that the cashier person might try to give you. 

Try to find alternatives with less waste

In Japanese supermarkets a lot of the things you can buy come with a lot of packaging. When you buy chocolate every piece is wrapped in plastic, when you buy sliced cheese every slice is wrapped in plastic, etc. 

Although it is not easy to find alternatives with less packaging maybe instead of just buying the brands you are used to it might be a nice idea to check what other options are available. 

Order items combined when shopping online

More "at home" time means more online shopping. But every order comes with cardboard and other wrapping materials. If you order several items together, you will have less trash resulting from packaging. As an Amazon Prime member, I would order items right away when I realize that I needed something.

Instead of doing that now though, I put the items in the shopping cart and wait until I have several of the things I need. This also helps to reduce impulsive shopping!

Do you know other methods to reduce domestic garbage?