Written by Yuya Yokoyama

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about “garbage."

This is not only because I have had more opportunities to think about “environmental conservation” since joining RIV, but also because the people around me have changed in the course of our activities.

We have been able to communicate with people who are closely involved with nature, such as Mr. Okamura (Professor Emeritus at Hokkaido University of Science and Technology, President of the NPO Natural Forest Growing Association), who serves as our advisor, people who are working with us in forest development activities, people who are involved in activities to protect wild animals living in Hokkaido, forest cooperative members, and so on. Through these activities, I inevitably began to pay attention to things I had not been aware of before.

As a result of the changes in their surroundings, they have become more aware of “garbage” as they have had more opportunities to come into contact with how they themselves think nature should be.

The first step in RIV's environmental preservation activities is to pick up trash.

Although there is a very wide range of activities that can be undertaken as environmental preservation activities, we decided to start with something that is easy to start with.

The location is around Atsuma Town in Hokkaido. It takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes by car from Sapporo. We parked our car on a side road and went into the forest along the road. The location was chosen randomly, prioritizing the ease of parking the car rather than the possibility of finding litter. It was a situation where empty cans and plastic bottles had fallen here and there, as well as after entering the forest, and there were countless pieces of trash scattered about.

Most of the litter that had fallen was empty lunch boxes, plastic bags, empty cans and PET bottles. As we picked up litter, we found that most of the trash was caused by littering by drivers on the roadway. Some of the litter included empty chuhai and beer cans and other items that would make one suspect drunk driving. There was also a lot of litter that had been left uneaten or undrinkable and had decayed over the years, giving off a terrible odor. I still remember that I had to load a double-wrapped garbage bag in the trunk of my car, and even with the windows fully open, the terrible smell filled the car and was almost unbearable. 

Have you ever thought about what “garbage.” is?

To begin with, there is a large category of “garbage.,” which is broadly divided into two categories: industrial waste and general waste. Garbage” is included in this ”general waste. Furthermore, it seems that garbage is divided into “household waste” and “business waste.

Wikipedia defines “garbage” itself as follows

"Generally, unnecessary things that arise in daily life."
"Things that are useless and would be better off without them."
"A messy, dirty thing that has no use or value. Dust, filth, and dirt."

It seems that “unnecessary, useless, and worthless” things are called “garbage."

First of all, in considering what “garbage” is, it is necessary to understand the relationship between things and people.

Needless to say, things are indispensable in the process of human life. However, the moment an object becomes unnecessary, useless, or of no value to a human being, it becomes “trash.

The stuffed animal you loved so much when you were a child, or the diet equipment you started to lose weight in order to lose weight, will become “trash” over the years. The process of transformation from objects to “trash” depends on the judgment that they are “unnecessary” according to human value standards. In other words, it changes from an object to “trash” based on the person's subjective judgment. If you yourself feel it is unnecessary, it is “garbage. However, even if you feel it is “trash,” if someone else thinks it is “necessary,” it becomes a thing for that person. It is a strange thing.

When I went home to my parents' house, I discovered that a set of comic books that I had treasured had been thrown away. To me, they were things, but to the person who threw them away, they were “trash. Depending on our subjective viewpoints based on our own value standards, they can be transformed into both objects and “trash.

It is clear that there is a fine line between “objects” and “garbage".

In 1987, more than 30 years ago, the daily amount of garbage per person was 1,040g.

By 2021, the daily per capita amount of waste generated was 890 g. This is a 150 g decrease from the 1987 figure.

Contrary to expectations, the daily amount of waste per person seems to have decreased from the past.

There are several reasons for the decrease in garbage production since 2000.

There are some historical backgrounds, such as the economic slowdown and the decrease in the population, but there are also some obvious artificial reasons, such as the enactment of laws related to recycling, the observance of municipal sorting rules, and the efforts of manufacturers to reduce waste. We believe that the major factor is that people have tried to avoid or reduce waste as much as possible. It is clear that the change in human awareness and efforts has had an impact on the decrease in the amount of garbage.

Since a long time ago, the idea of the “3Rs” has been spreading as an effort to reduce waste.

The 3Rs are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. It is still fresh in our minds that a TV commercial once discussed the 3Rs.

・Reduce: Reduce the amount of things you use and reduce the amount of waste.

・Reuse: Use things longer, change the users of garbage

・Recycle: Reduce waste by using it again as a resource.

In addition to these 3Rs, there is also the 4Rs with the addition of “Refuse".

Refuse, do not buy, and do not bring in things that will become garbage. I personally believe that “Refuse” is important to achieve “Zero Waste,” which is to eliminate waste, waste, and garbage. Refuse” means to prevent the creation of waste in the first place. It means to avoid bringing in things that will become “waste” in the future as much as possible.

I am ashamed to admit that I myself have a lot of things. I don't know if it is because I have many hobbies or because I buy things without thinking, but that is how I feel. The more things I own, the more things will one day become “trash. However, I am beginning to change my mindset, and when I no longer need something that I already own, I want to sell it for reuse rather than throw it away as “trash. I have come to feel that I want to examine the things I acquire in the future from the perspective of Refuse. This kind of individual awareness may lead to a reduction in the amount of waste generated by society as a whole.

We at RIV, as well as our environmental conservation activities, are centered on product development for outdoor brands. We have just started working on product development, but we are seriously considering developing products that will not immediately become “trash” and that can be used as objects for a long time to come.

Mass-produced products and transient designs are the opposite of what we intend and really mean when we create products. Like classical music, we want to create universal products that can be used over time. Design, materials, and durability are also high hurdles to overcome. However, we would like to overcome these high hurdles and focus on creating products that people will want to continue to use even if they have to repair them, and that can be used by other people through reuse even if they are no longer needed by them. We will continue to focus on creating products that can be used by other people through reuse.