Tokyo prepares new regulations to ban littering

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is considering drafting regulations regarding the prohibition of littering, as the amount of waste left in central entertainment districts increases alongside the rise in tourist visits following the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to metropolitan government sources on Thursday (17/9), discussions will follow regarding the implementation of administrative fines, as well as the obligations to be imposed on food and beverage vendors and packaging producers.

Waste left behind after riverside barbecues has also become a problem in Tokyo. Local authorities intend to regulate waste types, public behaviour patterns, and designate priority areas.

Meanwhile, the metropolitan areas of Shibuya and Shinjuku already have similar regulations in place. A metropolitan-level regulation is expected to prevent regulatory discrepancies and allow for a coordinated response across a wider area.

Shibuya revised its regulations last June, changing the penalty for littering from criminal fines through legal procedures to an administrative fine of 2,000 yen (approximately Rp227,000), making it easier to enforce. According to local data, there were 963 cases subject to administrative fines in Shibuya as of the end of August.

The revised regulations also require vending machine operators and certain food and beverage vendors to provide collection points or bins for plastic bottles and other waste, including the application of sanctions for violators.

In Shinjuku, revised regulations will come into effect starting in October. The new rules prohibit the littering of food packaging and disposable wooden chopsticks. Previously, only bottles, cigarette butts, chewing gum, and scraps of paper were prohibited from being discarded improperly in Shinjuku.