Geographical location
	Tokyo (the capital of Japan) Lat. 35° 40' N Long. 139° 45' E Access from Osaka 2.5 hours by bullet train
	Related links Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tokyo Slim(Japanese only) The Tokyo Metropolitan Research Institute for Environmental Protection

"Garbage Meeting"

The Tokyo government sponsors a "garbage meeting" every year to encourage residents to throw away less and recycle more. In November 1998, a kids' version of the conference was held with 320 elementary and middle school students from 26 ecology clubs in Tokyo attending.

Prior to the meeting, the government asked kids what could be done to promote recycling and cut down waste. In addition to surveying the amount of trash being thrown away at Tokyo government offices and participating in clean-up projects at popular tourist sites during summer vacation, the kids came up with several original ideas and research themes.

Nine groups made reports of their activities at the kids' garbage conference. One group was a class of fourth graders attending a school in the city of Higashi Yamato. The 38 students visited waste treatment plants and landfills and reported their surprise at learning that 5% of all waste remains as ash and that plastic litter can seriously damage the environment.

A group of elementary school students from the city of Chofu found out that 30% of the waste being thrown away by households can actually be recycled and came up with an idea for a "trash locker" that sorts discarded materials into 16 categories. This idea was the result of research the students conducted on the Internet on the efforts being made in other countries and also of the visit they made to a waste treatment plant for nonflammable trash. The students used slides to highlight their presentation.

After the reports, a discussion was held to consider how waste can be reduced. The discussion was joined by Tokyo Governor Yukio Aoshima. Some of the comments from the schoolchildren included suggestions like bringing your own bags when shopping, turning kitchen waste into fertilizer, and holding a fair where kids can trade toys and other belongings with one another. The participants also asked companies to make products that are biodegradable and that last a long time.

A declaration was read aloud following the discussion in which participants pledged to think about the environment in their daily lives, stop using disposable products, and promote recycling and buy recycled products.

Governor Aoshima promised to work with all his staff to achieve the goals of the declaration.

Photos: Kids took part in all kinds of activities at the garbage meeting.(Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Public Cleaning)