In 2003, Kamikatsu made a zero-waste pledge for 2020. 17 years later, residents sorted trash into 45 categories and recycled over 80%, but producers needed to change too

In Kamikatsu, throwing something away is not as simple as putting it in a bin. Residents of the small mountain town in Japan bring their household waste to a central collection site, where it is sorted into 45 different categories. The system helped Kamikatsu achieve an 81% recycling rate by 2016, years after the town became the first municipality in Japan to declare a zero-waste goal in 2003, as per a report.

The declaration set a target of achieving zero waste by 2020. But even with an extensive sorting system and a recycling rate of more than 80%, some materials still had to be sent outside the town for incineration. The amount of waste generated in Kamikatsu also had not declined over the previous 10 to 15 years and had instead increased slightly.