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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World

Waste not, want not

Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Kamikatsu is a tiny village of 2,000 people in the densely wooded mountains of Shikoku island Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Sonae Fujii of the Zero Waste Academy in Kamikatsu stands next to containers filled with waste ready for recycling at the Hibigaya Waste Station Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
A resident divides up her bottles into clear, brown and other coloured bottles at the waste disposal site Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Household waste must be separated into 34 categories, including tin cans ... Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Sake bottles are given their own separate disposal box ... Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
... as a re lighters and electric razors Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
A local resident disposes of cardboard boxes Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Yasuo Goto, 75, sweeps up as part of his job at the waste disposal site Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
A sign points residents to the nappy and sanitary towel disposal zone Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Each of the containers for different waste items are numbered, with samples of the kinds of trash for clarity and labels with descriptions on how the contents are recycled Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Kikue Nii does some tidying up in her extensive vegetable patch. Like all residents she composts all her households kitchen leftovers Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Kikue Nii drops food scraps into her electric composter Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
Kikue Nii hangs out washed milk cartons, tofu containers and plastic bags to dry at her home Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
Kamikatsu Town in Shikoku, Japan
A sign saying "Zero waste by 2020", the stated intention of the village Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/freelance
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