Residents of Kamikatsu, a small village in Japan have walked the extra mile to make their village zero waste. Usually, people have the task of segregating waste into wet and dry waste, but in Kamikatsu residents sort their trash into super-specific categories, like aluminum cans, steel cans, paper cartons, and paper flyers.

At times, when people find separating trash between paper and plastic to be time-consuming and tedious, these diligent residents sort their garbage into 34 categories of waste.

The town had adopted this rigorous zero waste program in 2003. As is the convention, this town used to earlier incinerate its trash but realized how damaging waste incinerators are as they pollute the environment with vast quantities of greenhouse gases and toxins that can damage the food supply.

Residents have taken to the tedious task of washing, sorting, and bringing their trash to the town's sorting center. Workers at the centre also ensure that the trash goes to the right bins.

Old furniture and clothing do not go waste as they are exchanged at a store for free items that others have dropped off. There is also a factory in the town where local women make toys like teddy bears from old and discarded kimonos.

Deputy chief officer of the Zero Waste Academy, Akira Sakano said that they are trying to focus more and totally change their lifestyles.

Kamikatsu hopes to be completely zero-waste by 2020. Currently,  80% of the town's garbage is recycled, reused, or composted, with the rest going to a landfill.