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I love Taiwan, but I would argue that it's the garbage system that builds a sense of civic cooperation, not the other way around. My impression of Taiwanese cul

by rlue 8y ago

I love Taiwan, but I would argue that it's the garbage system that builds a sense of civic cooperation, not the other way around. My impression of Taiwanese culture in general (compared to LA, where I grew up) is one of commitment to the status quo, preference for the path of least resistance, and strong risk aversion. All of these add up to mean that if the truck is how you're supposed to take your trash out, most people will accept it as the unavoidable hassle that it is. The remainder will either live in a fancy apartment that takes care of it for you, or else litter and/or abuse the few streetside trash cans you can manage to find around here. That's not to discredit the people in Taiwan who really do give a damn – there's a great video on YouTube by a vlogger who invites the mayor of Taipei (!) to walk the streets picking up cigarette butts and other litter with him, and they share some great insights with each other. But I see Taiwan's trash disposal system much more as a triumph of central planning than the Taiwanese character. EDIT: forgot the link to the video (no translation from Chinese, though) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtTQO4OsZqU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtTQO4OsZqU

ddeck 8y ago
>who invites the mayor of Taipei (!) to walk the streets picking up cigarette butts One consequence of the lack public trash cans is that every smoker I've seen disposes of their cigarette butts by throwing them down the steel-grated drains that line every street. In several years, I've never seen anyone cautioned or fined, despite sometimes doing this in front of police and traffic wardens. Given the copious rainfall, I can only assume that the butts find their way to the rivers surrounding the city and onward to the ocean. Presumably this could be prevented with a little education and enforcement, but there appears to be little concern.

by rlue 8y ago

ddeck 8y ago

>who invites the mayor of Taipei (!) to walk the streets picking up cigarette butts One consequence of the lack public trash cans is that every smoker I've seen disposes of their cigarette butts by throwing them down the steel-grated drains that line every street. In several years, I've never seen anyone cautioned or fined, despite sometimes doing this in front of police and traffic wardens. Given the copious rainfall, I can only assume that the butts find their way to the rivers surrounding the city and onward to the ocean. Presumably this could be prevented with a little education and enforcement, but there appears to be little concern.