Kamikatsu Village: A Zero Waste Wonder

So, if you’ve clicked on this blog then you must also be curious about Kamikatsu Village. No, the “a zero waste wonder” is not just clickbait for you to read, but this village has actually become sustainable by being zero waste!

Kamikatsu is a small town in Katsuura district, Japan. This remote village is located in the mountainous terrains of Japan’s landscape, so you can already imagine the view! In the past few years, Kamikatsu Village received international spotlight from their evident success in being sustainable. Tourists' traction increased, not just to enjoy the view, but to see first-hand how the village functions by being zero waste.

This village that houses 1500 residents was able to work together to separate and manage waste, as well as create a barter system that promotes life span of household utilities. While Japan is already known for their waste management system, Kamikatsu village took it to the next level. According to The Guardian, Kamikatsu recycles 81% of their waste in comparison to the national average of 20%. That’s a 61% gap in efficiency! Not to mention the less than optimal global recycling industry that exclusively selects the waste it recycles. Kamikatsu village is years ahead of everyone else in this regard!

But how did this movement start?

In the late 1990s, Japan released a regulation to minimize incarceration of waste due to the alarming increase in air pollutants. This new regulation stated that for every certain amount of area or number of population, there can only be so much burner working. Back then, Kamikatsu village didn’t have enough population to qualify for their own burner in the village, despite already having two. So, they had to stop that and decide on the alternative. One was to rent a waste truck to collect their household waste, but that was too expensive, and the other was to go “zero waste.” Of course, this decision was not easy and it took months and years to build a foundation for the zero waste system. Many villagers also commented on how it was hard to transition into a new lifestyle. They had to invest more time in managing their waste compared to when they could just throw it away. However, reflecting back, it seems that the villagers are happy with the decision to go sustainable.

Other unique features in their decision to be “zero waste” include barter hub and provisions. There is a circular building in the middle of their village where residents are able to drop off their unused household items that are still in good condition. At the same time, residents can also pick up any other household utilities their neighbors have placed in the hub. No cost, no payment method. Just a simple barter that doesn’t even require them to be present at the same time! In addition to that, Kamikatsu village started to provide cloth diapers for newborn babies in the village. This assistance was able to reduce their waste by a generous amount. In addition to that, Kamikatsu village started to provide cloth diapers for newborn babies in the village, which was able to reduce their waste by a generous amount.

The houses in the village are also designed uniquely to maximize the village resources to manage their waste. How do they do that? Well, there is a small stream running down the mountain through the village, in it are koi fish that eat food leftovers! So, some houses deliberately build their house to cover a part of the stream (without blocking the flow, of course) so it’s easier for them to give the fish their leftovers! I kept the water clean, and the fish fed, a win-win situation.

A representative of the village did mention that the only way this change was possible to be achieved was due to the conviction and the small population. However, this is only a testimony of what we can do if we work together to change!

Keep this tale of Kamikatsu village in mind, and think it over whenever you think that something is impossible. Nothing is impossible! It only takes time and care, and we can do anything we can possibly imagine.