Japan Starts Trashing Plastics, Asks Consumers To Bring Own Bags

Japanese shoppers are increasingly being given the opportunity to take reusable containers to buy food and other items by weight or volume to reduce the amount of plastic packaging they take home from the supermarket while cutting down on food wastage, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: In Japan, containers and packaging account for more than 60 percent of household waste by volume.

Consumers in Japan are faced with an overwhelming amount of plastic packaging when shopping at supermarkets as compared to other countries, leading certain companies and their loyal customers to make an environmentally-friendly change.

In various areas of the country, people are bringing their own reusable containers to stores and buying just what they need, while a scale manufacturer has developed a device that automatically identifies and weighs products to serve the growing demand for a new way to shop at major stores.

Specialty store Poco Mucho, which opened in the city of Fukuoka, southwest Japan in April 2020, sells some 200 different foodstuffs and daily necessities by weight, such as smoked pistachios at 80 yen per 10 grams and peanut butter at 55 yen for the same amount.

Shoppers pay for products after they are weighed in a store-provided paper bag or bottle. Customers receive a 3 percent discount if they bring their own shopping bags or containers. "I wash out my little bottle when it is empty and bring it with me when I return," said a 38-year-old nurse who is a regular shopper at Poco Mucho.

"The attraction is you can buy a bit at a time, as much as you want to eat," she said. Motoki Yanase, manager of Poco Mucho, said, "I hope customers increase their environmental awareness while enjoying shopping here," Mainichi Japan also reported.

Shops in Europe and the United States have already begun making efforts to cut down on plastic waste. In France, there has been a movement to phase out the use of plastics for wrapping and packaging products.

In Japan, containers and packaging account for more than 60 percent of household waste by volume, according to the Environment Ministry, with supermarkets and other large retailers making it near-impossible to avoid plastic by selling items, even fruits, and vegetables, in individual wrappings.

The ministry says home waste can be significantly reduced if more shoppers bring their own shopping bags and containers.

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