G30
”Yokohama G30” is the slogan for the action plans of waste reduction launched by the municipal government five years ago. You probably have seen “G30” or this mascot called “Mee-Oh” on the right somewhere at least once.
What it stands for;
G : the first letter from Gomi =(garbage, trash) and Genryo (=reduction in volume)
30 : the target set for waste reduction by 30%
How you read it;
G (gee as you read the alphabet) 30 (san-ju)
Or go mi-zero (= waste-zero)
Just recently one of my acquaintances, an American guy who has been living in Yokohama with his Japanese girlfriend for 5 years, received a warning from the waste management bureau in mail. They obviously ignored the garbage collection rules, and did not separate trash properly. Now, how did they find out his name and address? Perhaps there was a direct ad mail in his garbage bag. So, you really have to be careful what you throw in your trash bin.
For details on the waste disposal rules, click here. It’s available in 9 languages.
Jun 18th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
They love to play with sounds in Japan. It can be very difficult for us non-Japanese to guess though. I do enjoy these words when I recognize them though. The first one I recognized was 39 - San Kyu (Thank you.)
When I first arrived in Yokohama the garbage collection was not so strict. I had lived in Chofu in Tokyo for a short time and it was very strict. You had to take the staples out of magazines. Newspaper and magazines had to be separated as they have different kinds of paper. You had to take buttons and zippers off clothes if you threw them out. It was unbelievable.
Jun 19th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Here’s another one. July 10th (7-10) is “Natto” (fermented soy beans) Day, ‘Na’ from 7 that reads ‘nana’ and “to” is one way to say the number 10 in Japanese.
The garbage rules in Chofu sounds overly strict. I intend to do whatever I can to stop the global warming, but there is a limit to what individuals can do. More responsibilities should be imposed on those industries and businesses reluctant to set concrete goals. The governer of Kanagawa Prefecture just recently suggested that convenience stores be closed during midnight hours. I don’t mind that. I usually keep good supply in my fridge so never go on a midnight errand!