This small town, located in Shangsheng Town, Tokushima Prefecture, southwest Japan, is geographically remote, with a population of only about 1500, and people over 65 account for more than half, but picking leaves can earn 260 million yen a year. People here are not short of money at all. The most "lacking" here is garbage.
The water in this town is refreshing, the leaves are not mottled and polluted, and there are 320 kinds of edible leaves. In recent years, Japanese food culture has been spread and imitated, and leaves are often used as side dishes or decorative flowers and leaves. The leaves of this town are sold or even exported to hotels and restaurants in North America and Europe, and the local turnover of picking leaves alone can reach 6.5438+0.3 million pounds a year.
This title is not only because of picturesque mountains and rivers, tea gardens and villages, but also because this "most environmentally friendly town in Japan" lacks one thing in the world-garbage. There is only one garbage collection center in the town, and all garbage is required to be sorted before recycling. Even the leftovers can only be piled up at home and handed over to the recycling center.
This town also hides a multifunctional "mansion" made entirely of recycled waste, which is really amazing. This zero-waste "mansion" covers warehouses, breweries, bars and barbecues.
Extended data
The Past of Shangsheng Machi Town
The forest coverage rate of Shangcheng Machi Town is relatively high, and there is not much flat land. The population of the town is less than 2000, with about 800 families and 55 small villages. It is a typical rural area in Japan.
In the past, non-biodegradable domestic waste was treated by an open incinerator. In the 1990s, due to the serious environmental pollution caused by garbage incineration and landfill, and the departure of more and more young people, the town experienced a serious population decline and aging.
But since 2003, without an advanced garbage disposal system, the town has relied on a group of elderly people over 65, which not only solved the garbage problem in this decade, but also made a perfect counterattack.