Honestly, it’s really disgusting to see how much plastic and packaging there is in Japan

The Canadian government recently announced that they will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021. Last month, the U.K. government confirmed the ban on the sale and use of plastic straws and drink stirrers and cotton buds with plastic stems from next April. The world is moving towards reducing single-use plastic, but what about Japan?

Plastic everywhere in Japan

According to the U.N., Japan is the 2nd largest generator of plastic packaging waste per capita in the world, following the USA.

When I go back to Japan, I always hate to see so much plastic everywhere. One day, I bought a package of Vietnamese spring rolls, which is one of my favourite foods. You can make Vietnam-style raw spring rolls very easily with the package including everything you need, such as cut spring onions, Chinese leeks, cooked chicken slices, boiled shrimps, rice papers and dipping sauce.

I opened the package and found each of the ingredients individually packed in small plastic bags. I had to open each small plastic bag and realized that it provided the same volume of plastic waste as the volume of the actual food contained. If you had been there, you would have been surprised by how many plastic bags were included in one…