Welcome back trash cans and new littering fines in Shibuya

Today, is World Radio Day, which reminded me that thanks to radio I heard about the new Shibuya littering fines coming in this year! I listen to Eagle 810, the American Forces Network radio station that broadcasts on AM 810 Hz and thankfully you can pick up over much of the Kanto plain and even beyond.

They occasionally give information for Tokyo in their broadcasts and this past couple of weeks they have an announcement about the new fines, they play during their commercial breaks. According to Eagle 810 the new littering fines come in from April 1st and can be up to 50,000 yen. However, according to online news articles, the new litter ordinance will come in from April 1st, but the fines don't start until June 1st. (That is not an invitation to litter in the meantime!)

But the good news is that the ordinance requires businesses such as convenience stores and cafes to install trash cans for customers use. The trash cans have been greatly missed in the last few years when a series of incidences led to a major decrease of bins in Tokyo. Some were removed for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, even more for the Tokyo Olympics and even more again during Covid. The latter for hygiene reasons, the former two for security reasons. Hopefully, other wards will follow Shibuya's lead and we won't have to carry our rubbish around anymore!