Kamikatsu is a small town in Japan.
In 2003, Kamikatsu issued a Zero Waste Declaration- This means that all waste produced by its inhabitants is recycled or reused rather than being sent to landfill or for incineration.
They were forced to take action when legislation decreed that its incinerator could no longer be used due to unsafe levels of dioxin emissions.
Then they developed an extensive waste sorting system, where people separate wastes into 45 specific categories such as aluminum cans, steel cans, newspapers, paper cartons, and paper flyers.
Milk cartons, cans, and even plastic food wrappers and shopping bags must be washed before being thrown out, and newspapers placed in neat bundles, secured with twine made from recycled milk cartons.
Glass bottles are relieved of their caps and sorted by colour. Plastic bottles that once contained soy sauce or cooking oil are kept in a separate bin space.
The small number of items that have proved impossible to recycle like leather shoes, nappies and other sanitary products, are sent to an incinerator outside the village.
In 2016, Kamikatsu recycled 81% of the waste it produced. I think the world will be cleaner and richer if every country can adapt to this methods.