Opinion

Litterbugs Bug Everyone!

By JOHN GATHRIGHT

I am generally an easygoing, people person and not many things really bother me. But one thing that gets my goat is litterbugs: people who litter.

When I first came to Japan I found the sheer numbers of litterbugs overwhelming and very shocking. The irony of the situation is that it was actually my love for Japanese garbage that brought me to Japan! I know you are thinking, "What? Love garbage? This guy is really weird!" but please, hear me out.

When I was a small boy I used to go down to the beach on Vancouver Island, in western Canada, with my grandfather. Every morning the tide would bring with it exotic garbage from all over the world. But out of all the Pacific Rim countries, Japanese garbage was by far the most interesting ― and plentiful.

Japanese sake bottles, wooden lunch boxes, glass floats; I even found an old wooden geta. Since its foot straps were nonexistent I mistook it for a bookend. When I later learned that it was really a Japanese shoe, I made a childhood vow and dreamed that one day I would visit the Country of Bookend Shoes. So in a way, Japanese litter changed the course of my life. Even though I cherish my childhood memories of collecting Japanese bottles, wooden geta and other intriguing treasures, I find nothing romantic about litter and the eyesore it makes of Japanese cities

In my hometown, there used to be a litterbug problem and the city decided to do something about it. There were signs all over the city that said "Please don't litter! We don't want to live in your Garbage Can." The city also tried providing a very large and brightly colored garbage can every couple of blocks. But the program that truly made a difference and transformed the city was the simplest and most cost-efficient of all.

It was the "Excuse me, I think you dropped this?" plan. The idea was that if someone in front of you dropped something, you would quickly pick it up, very nicely, hand it back to the person and say, "I'm sorry, but I think you dropped this." Ninety-nine percent of the time the person littering was not angry in the least with such a kind and simple reprimand. In fact, he was usually a little bit embarrassed and he would then be forced to think about his actions, about how it wasn't fair to litter in shared space.

Thanks to this cooperative program and all the people who took that simple action against littering, the city became virtually litter-free.

I think that the time is right for the same program to start in Japan. As a matter of fact, I have been doing this myself ever since I came to Japan. It doesn't matter how scary the person. With the help of a deep bow and a friendly smile as I give them their dropped item, I have not once encountered someone who reacted angrily with me. I have even made a few friends this way!

Shukan ST: May 30, 1997

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