Next time you feel loath to separate the recycling, just consider some of the alternatives. Without recycling, garbage bags would be bulging and landfills even more crammed. Eventually, some resources might peter out if every product were thrown away and not returned to a useful form. What’s more, efficient recycling programs are actually cheaper than conventional garbage disposal.

Every community offers a different form of recycling. In some places, residents take their items to a central facility. For example, in the UK, bottle banks require separating glass by colour - brown, green, and white. Other places may have curbside pick-up, so that residents place recyclables in an accessible location. In Vancouver, recycling is divided into mixed paper, newsprint, and containers (plastic, glass, and aluminum).

In Kamikatsu, Japan, a more extreme form of recycling is practiced. Since 2003, the tiny village has been attempting to become a zero waste community.

Photo credit: Timothy Takemoto (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nihonbunka/32774212/)

The goal is laudable but the journey is more arduous. Residents separate their waste into 34 different categories and then transport it to a central recycling facility.

In the past, Kamikatsu, like many communities, used incineration for waste disposal. However, tightened regulations in 2000 closed the incinerators due to excessive dioxin emission. Rather than establishing a different disposal method, the villagers decided to pursue zero waste production.

At first, the new regime was demanding and time-consuming. But practice has made the process much more streamlined. That said, there is an extensive list of rules. All containers must be washed. Lids are removed. Glass is sorted by colour and plastic is separated by type. Newspapers and magazines are stacked and tied. The twine is recycled from milk containers.

Beyond the recycling, compostible items are kept in home compost containers. The government has subsidized these composters. Reusable material - clothes and household items - goes to a centre for redistribution. Since the initiative started, the community’s recycling rate has gone from 55% in 1998 to 80% in 2008. Kitchen waste is nearly 100% recycled.

The scheme has been very successful in several ways. Overall, the residents of Kamikatsu are pleased with the results. They have reduced their waste production, especially food waste. There is no more domestic garbage collection. But zero waste production is still a distant goal. Some items, such as furniture, are not recyclable and must be incinerated. Other materials end up in landfills. Specialty recycling, like batteries, requires shipping to central locations. Some compost ends up in garburators, which use electricity and require wastewater filtration.

Despite these drawbacks, enormous strides have been made. While many communities might not be ready to tackle the problem as thoroughly as Kamikatsu, it stands as an example of how much can be accomplished. And it is still a work in progress.