Kamikatsu: World's first zero waste town

All the way in Japan there is a town called Kamikatsu. At first glance, there is nothing extraordinary about this town, but when you look closer, Kamikatsu has achieved the most incredible thing by almost becoming the world's first zero waste town.

The town, which has a population of 1,529, kicked off the zero waste movement in 2003 and by 2016 they had managed to drop their yearly waste from 500 tons to 300 tons. By the end of this year, the town targets to become a total zero waste town, producing no waste.

There is no garbage collection service in Kamikatsu. While 20 percent of the residents prefer to bury their waste on their properties, 80 percent of the residents pile up their own waste at the waste collection center in the town and the garbage is divided into 45 categories and sent off to recycle. Two recycle workers come to Kamikatsu every week and help locals sort their garbage.

On the other hand, in order to reduce waste, the town features many second hand shops where the residents pick up what they need.