Mhm So in some of my previous videos, people have commented in Japan, you just way too much classic, which could be a fair statement.

But in this video, I wanted to show you what happens to some of that classic and how it's recycled in Japan.

But before I start, like always, if you want to see what I'm doing on the daily, check out my instagram account before the channel, check out my Tokyo and Japan merch.

And if you have any questions about Japan, hold your hand travels, check out my discord community that said, let me tell you how recycling works in Japan.

Today, I'm at the Ibaraki recycling factory, one of Japan's largest plastic food container producers, PICO.

This Japanese factory recycles, used plastic food trays to make brand new ones.

In fact, the first company in the world who started traded trade container production created in 1962 in Hiroshima, the company has grown to about 960, hardworking staff with factories all throughout the country.

Also, I'm aware that this is a touchy topic among many people in the world, including Japan could be doing more for the environment, but we'll leave that debate for a different video.

Oh, a huge truck has just arrived all throughout Japan used plastic trays are commonly collected at designated supermarket recycle bins where they're picked up by trucks and brought to recycling factory unloading docks like this one, Wow, they've got more trays than Steph curry at this factory alone, about five tons of plastic trays that are unloaded every day are recycled into about 4.6 tons of reusable pellets to make more trades.

Apparently there are two main types of plastic trays used.

The clear ones oriented polystyrene and the software one's called polystyrene paper or what many worldwide ordinarily know as styrofoam, we'll start with this one.

Look at all this classic, this looks like a place where they unpack everything.

Now.

The collective trades are ushered into the conveyor belt for sorting.

First thing you may notice that the trades arrive rather clean and I can vouch with no stench in Japan before placing plastic trades into the recycle bins.

They're washed and dried at home by each individual, A very critical part of the process.

Since this type of recycling business wouldn't be possible without the cooperation from the community, interestingly, many japanese kids from a young age learn how to clean and separate plastics as part of their everyday school lunch, helping to show them the importance and their responsibility for recycling.

Oh, here comes more.

These large brown bags are packed with styrofoam trays already sorted at a different facility since not all the facilities have machinery to recycle the trays into pellets like this one.

Some simply perform the sorting procedure and once complete are transferred to this recycling factory, wow, there's just so much plastic here, let's go ask some of the questions.

Hi, can I ask you some questions.

So what are you doing?

How long have you been working here?

Cool, what's your favorite part of the job?

Finally, is there anything you need to be careful of?

So what's the most difficult part of your job?

Thank you.

Now onto the sorting process basically the workers remove items that aren't suitable for recycling and then sort out the suitable ones between clear, white and colored, Wow, look at them go interestingly.

This factory itself employs many different types of workers, 86% of which are individuals with a handicap.

The factory says that the sorting task requires a focus concentration for long periods of time, which many are great at making them an important part of their workforce.

Let's go see if we can talk to someone else.

Excuse me, What are you doing?

Yes.

Why is sorting important?

Yes, will get sent.

What?

So what are the unreliable trends?

But outside of my life I see.

And what do you think is more challenging about this job?

Simple enough.

Oh, what do you do when it starts hurting?

Yes.

Cool.

Thanks.

Before we continue on, I want to tell you about the awesome people at books who also sponsored this video.

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First time users will get a seasons of japan box and after that you'll get a theme box like this one.

This month's theme is my duty moments celebrating the seasons, greenery with items like matches, snacks, Wasabi chips and of course green tea.

You get this nice booklet that takes you through each snack.

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My favorite this month is a pseudo aci gumi which you can try for yourself.

So get $15 off your own authentic japanese snack box subscription from books to by using my code Apollo 15 and link in the description I should mention though based on the most recent statistics from 2016 out of the top 20 plastic waste producing countries, Japan ranks 15th in the world for annual plastic waste production per person at 38 kg, £83 compared to the U.

S.

At a steady number one producing 100 and five kg, £231 of plastic waste per person with the U.

K.

And second at 99 kg.

That said Japan recycles about 20% of that plastic waste for reuse.

Now that the trade, let's go see what happens to the trade next.

The sordid white trays are conveyed into this machine, which first aggressively blows off any foreign particles and then shreds the trays into smaller pieces afterwards.

It's washed with water in this giant tank and washed a second time in the neighboring tank, but this time with hot water and detergent followed up with a dual rinse and full dry.

And of course the water used in the washing process is purified and reused in the factory.

Oh, this machine is shredding the colored trays.

They're processing a designated machine completely separate from the white trays.

I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I'm gonna go over there.

Yeah, Okay then now, clean trade pieces are once again shredded into smaller pieces about the size of a grape.

And here one of the workers reintroduces collected pieces of trade that got stuck in the process to help even further minimize waste.

Now the tiny pieces of tray are heated to 220°C about 428°F and melted at this machine to form thin plastic rods.

Unfortunately, these rods are hidden inside of the machinery, but I'll show you how it looks in just a bit with clear plastic trays.

But here you go.

Finally, in pellet form.

Oh, these are the black pellets made from the colored plastic trays.

They're recycled into other products like hangers and home appliances.

But research is underway so that they can also be recycled into trays.

Overall recycling about 1.9 billion plastic styrofoam trays every year, successfully reducing C.

02 emissions by 30%.

Look at someone up there, let's see what they're doing.

These are the clear trays.

Recyclable clear trades are sorted and gathered in this section.

Apparently there are many kinds of clear trade materials so they need to be sorted in a different facility before they're sent here for final recycling.

At this point, the trays are unpacked and conveyor up to this machine to be shredded into tiny pieces and just like the white and colored styrofoam trays.

The pieces are heated and then melted to produce these thin plastic rods, what I wanted to show you earlier, it kind of looks like a water fountain frozen in time.

The rods ultimately getting cut into tiny recyclable pellets in total, the company recycles about 250 million clear trays in addition to the styrofoam trays.

Now, all the pellets are weighed and stored until it's ready to be remade into new eco trays and this whole entire process would never be possible without the community's participation to separate wash and collect their used plastic trays.

Hence the reason why this is a part of a made in Japan series.

So there you go.

That's how plastic food trays are recycled here in Japan, you guys like this video helped me out and hit that like button.