A note from the KI department of mixed feelings: Many on the margins of society make ends meet by gathering recyclables such as newspaper and aluminum cans; conversely, this raises cost for municipal garbage collection by reducing the value of what authorized collectors take in, amounting to some The originally collected recyclable waste to sold to finance city sanitation, and the amount of damage caused by pilfered recyclables is estimated to be at least 26 million yen. Kumanichi recently announced a plan to crack down on unauthorized garbage collectors. Violators were initially fined 200,000 yen, but this is expected to be increased to 26 million yen.
I love my gomi hunting as I walk my dog in the morning and have found many treasures. That the government would go after collectors like me is unlikely; it’s the guys in the kei trucks who vacuum up every valuable item that they’re after. So don’t worry about selecting a treasure; just don’t do it in a truck. - William
