FUKUSHIMA -- Starting next March, the Fukushima Municipal Government will open bags of garbage that are not in compliance with separation rules to identify violators, and if they do not improve after being warned, the names of such businesses and individuals will be made public.

A revised ordinance was passed and enacted at a municipal assembly meeting on Dec. 17 with the aim of strengthening measures against trash that doesn't meet sorting rules. According to a survey conducted by the municipal government, more than half of the 62 core cities in Japan are conducting garbage bag opening inspections, but this is believed to be the first local government in the country that will disclose the names of individual violators in addition to the names of businesses.

The city of Fukushima has been facing a challenge to reduce the volume of garbage, as the amount of daily trash per person in fiscal 2022 was 1.08 kilograms, which is higher than the national average of 880 grams. Also, cases of discarded garbage not complying with separation rules are rampant, and approximately 9,000 such instances were confirmed in fiscal 2023.

Currently, garbage collectors place yellow "violation stickers" on garbage bags. After the revision of the city's waste disposal and cleaning ordinance, municipal government workers will put a red "warning sticker" on the bags. If no improvement is made after waiting approximately one week, city workers will collect the bags and conduct an inspection to identify violators through mail and other items. The violators will then be given verbal instructions, and if there is still no improvement, the city will issue a written advisory. If the violators still fail to rectify the situation, their names will be published on the municipal government website.

According to the local government, the city of Kyoto and the Nagasaki Prefecture city of Sasebo have ordinances to disclose the names of violating businesses identified through garbage inspections, but they do not disclose individual names.

There are concerns about an invasion of citizens' privacy regarding the garbage inspections and the disclosure of the names of violators. The city of Fukushima said that the inspection of garbage bag contents will be conducted in a closed space out of the sight of third parties, and that "there is nothing illegal about publicizing malicious waste generators who do not abide by the rules and do not follow the city's guidance and advisory."

In response to the ordinance revision, Fukushima Mayor Hiroshi Kohata said, "Through this initiative, we hope to somehow correct the current situation of improper garbage disposal. We will work to promote thorough separation of garbage and reduction of waste."

(Japanese original by Yuga Matsumoto, Fukushima Bureau)