Illegal dumping on municipal land is a headache in Japan. Daytime security patrols are unable to prevent it. People simply bring their junk at night. Now, by erecting torii, red wooden gates designed to look like entrances to Shinto shrines, local governments are using superstition as a deterrent. “The concept is pretty simple,” explains the newspaper IHT Asahi Shimbun. “People generally regard torii as sacred, so dumping litter near one would bring bad luck.” Sure enough, people no longer leave waste close to them. “A bit further away,” says the newspaper, “it’s a different story.”
Illegal dumping on municipal land is a headache in Japan. Daytime security patrols are unable to prevent it. People simply bring their junk at night. Now, by erecting torii, red wooden gates designed to look like entrances to Shinto shrines, local governments are using superstition as a deterrent. “The concept is pretty simple,” explains the newspaper IHT Asahi Shimbun. “People generally regard torii as sacred, so dumping litter near one would bring bad luck.” Sure enough, people no longer leave waste close to them. “A bit further away,” says the newspaper, “it’s a different story.”