Segregation at source is the single most useful thing a household can do for waste management. It takes two bins and a small habit change.
The two-bin system
Wet waste (organic / kujiune)
- Vegetable and fruit peels
- Leftover cooked food
- Tea leaves and coffee grounds
- Garden trimmings and leaves
Dry waste (recyclable / nakujiune)
- Plastic bottles and containers
- Paper and cardboard
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal tins and cans
Practical tips
- Rinse containers quickly — food residue contaminates whole batches
- Keep the dry bin somewhere dry so paper stays recyclable
- Flatten cardboard and bottles to save space
- Keep hazardous items (batteries, medicines, chemicals) completely separate
Why it matters
Mixed waste is hard to recover. When wet food waste soaks paper and plastic, materials that could have become fertiliser or new products end up as residue. Segregation directly raises how much we can recycle.