Baumgart: Jiufen, part 1

WE removed the trash cans and all of a sudden, all our garbage problems stopped,” I was jolted out of my stupor of watching mountains slowly roll by outside the bus window when our perky tour guide gave that strange nugget of information. That’s something you don’t hear every day. Curiously, I shifted my attention towards our tour guide as we made our way to Jiufen, a mountain town in northeastern Taiwan. As we weaved through the winding roads up the mountains of Taiwan, everyone on the tour bus listened with rapt attention.

“Yes, yes!” our tour guide assured, bouncing on her heels once she realized people were finally listening to her (earlier she gave history lessons of all the places we drove past). She tittered dangerously as the bus took sharp turns, but that didn’t stop her from quickly explaining their garbage solutions.

As it turned out, their garbage problem began when people continued to throw their garbage into trash cans even when they were filled to the brim! Once trash cans were filled, garbage would overflow and people still continued to throw their garbage into trash cans. Garbage would later just scatter along the road by the filled trash cans.

To address the garbage concern, local government decided to remove most of the trash cans from the streets, forcing people to take their trash home instead.

“Since there are no trash cans around anymore, people take their garbage home. Simple,” explained our tour guide with a shrug. Garbage gets disposed at home and not in the street, she added. No one would dare throw their garbage anywhere, but only in trash cans—it’s been an age-old habit. It’s pretty easy and simple logic, really. Leverage on the habit of disposing your garbage properly, take away the trash cans from the streets, and watch people take their trash home or to the nearest possible trash can. Building on habits really does wonders.

As we drove towards the magical town of Jiufen (which reportedly inspired some parts of the Oscar-winning animated film Spirited Away), I thought of our own garbage-throwing habits back home in the Philippines. Sadly, even with or without trash cans, we see garbage along the road.

Habits, it’s all about habits. Got trash? Find the right place to dispose of it.

As we approached Jiufen and the rain came in a downpour, we disembarked the bus. Our tour guide grinned and reminded us of our garbage. “Don’t throw your garbage anywhere. People will get angry and call you out. Bring it back home!”

As we walked through (climbed up) Jiufen, the streets were spotless. Jiufen is indeed magical.

Where will you take your garbage?

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