NAGOYA -- Central Nippon Expressway Co. (NEXCO Central)'s Nagoya Regional Head Office has removed trash cans at 12 parking areas in four prefectures after the firm was frustrated that the bins were left overflowing with bring-in refuse such as barbecue grates, skews with meat still on them and plastic shopping bags with items inside.

The measure covers parking areas in Nagano, Aichi, Gifu and Mie prefectures in central Japan. After the company announced the initiative on its official X account on Nov. 7, criticism such as "This is terrible" poured in, while others expressed understanding, with one saying, "I get where they're coming from," resulting in a flood of positive and negative feedback. The post had received over 23 million views by Nov. 10.

The company posted a set of photos showing before and after the removal of the waste boxes, alongside a comment to the effect that, "We've removed trash cans at some parking areas (those for restrooms only)." It cited as reasons for the measure numerous cases of bring-in trash and suspicious items having been dumped, and explained that it had removed the bins "from the perspective of safety, the environment and crime prevention."

In response, some people voiced disappointment on X, calling it "a foolish policy" or complaining, "We're paying tolls." Others questioned the efficacy of the removal, saying things like, "Without trash boxes, more people would end up just littering there." Meanwhile, some expressed understanding, noting, "If it just covers parking areas with toilets alone, it can't be helped."

A NEXCO Central representative told the Mainichi Shimbun, "Bring-in garbage had been a problem for some time, but since our previous warnings have turned out to be ineffective in reducing it, we decided to remove the trash bins." The Nagoya branch had previously taken steps such as putting up posters, as well as displaying a warning on its X account in May 2024 against dumping trash.

(Japanese original by Emi Araki, Nagoya News Department)