The next time you feel lazy about recycling your trash, think of Kamikatsu, a Japanese municipality where its 1,400 inhabitants – mostly elderly – sort waste into more than 45 categories. (Yes, 45). With a recycling rate exceeding 80%, it is surrounded by forests and rice fields in the mountains of Tokushima Prefecture. In 2003, the village became the first in Japan to adopt a “zero waste policy”, an ambitious declaration that has put it on the map as a reference in waste management.

Still, this sustainability journey began in a crisis for the municipality. Until the mid-20th century, Japanese society was traditionally focused on reuse. However, the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s led to an increase in waste and environmental problems. For Kamikatsu, the turning point came in the 1990s, when stricter regulations forced the closure of its incinerator, prompting the municipality to innovate in its waste management. Today, it has a very meticulous recycling system. In addition to separating paper, plastic, glass, and metal – as most of us mortals do – they have the aforementioned 45 categories of waste, including toothbrushes and refillable detergent containers. This requires considerable effort from residents, who take their waste from their scattered homes to the recycling station, where it is manually sorted. The Town Hall has promoted an intensive educational and awareness campaign, and some waste categories earn points that residents can exchange for vouchers, redistributing part of the income from the sale of recyclables. Additionally, organic waste—40% of household waste—is not collected, and home composting has been encouraged, reducing the amount of trash generated while supporting local agriculture.

In 2020, Kamikatsu took a further step with the opening of the Zero Waste Center, which serves as a recycling station but also offers an educational and research space, a store for recycled products called Kurukuru (meaning “spin around”), and a community hall. The center, built with recycled materials such as 700 windows donated by residents, also houses the Hotel WHY. In it, visitors can experience a zero-waste lifestyle, with no television or supermarkets, but plenty of nature, inviting reflection on the luxury of “living with less.”

For the coming years, the municipality wants to go beyond recycling already-generated waste and focus on reducing and reusing materials before they turn into trash. It also aims to reduce the burden on individual citizens and involve local businesses, such as restaurants and shops, exploring new production and consumption models that can close the material loop. For example, phasing out odd-sized food packaging that cannot be traded on markets for recyclables. Additionally, the municipality seeks to revitalize its economy by creating jobs in the zero-waste sector.

Although still on the path to true 100% zero-waste, Kamikatsu’s small-scale model shows once again that sustainability requires an integrated and collaborative approach. And that sorting is key to reusing – “sorted, it’s valuable—unsorted, it’s just waste” seems to be the town government’s motto.