A：如果你曾经在日本生活过，你可能会发现，处理生活垃圾是一件非常复杂的事情。你是否曾面临过这样的挑战：对垃圾进行细致的分类并清洁，确保在合适的日子用相应颜色的袋子再把垃圾丢出去；如若未按要求进行处理，垃圾将会被退回来，让人感到非常丢脸。 B: Yes, I

A: If you have ever lived in Japan, you’ve probably discovered that once you are responsible for your household’s garbage, things get a lot more complicated. Have you been faced with the challenge of sorting and cleaning your garbage meticulously, making sure to put it out on the right day in the right colored bag, or suffered the shame of having it returned to you?
B：是的，我刚好在日本待过一段时间。你说的这个情况我还真遇到过。到了日本，第一件事就是弄到你所在城市的垃圾指南。它有42页长!这种长度很常见。各个城市自行负责其垃圾处理事宜。每个城市、城镇和地区都有完全不同的处理方法。所以，即使你已经熟悉了一个地区的处理体系，如果你搬到其他地方去，就算再熟悉曾经的处理体系也不会对你有多大帮助。
A: Many people think that you are being made to do all this trash sorting2 as some kind of punishment, but there are some pretty important reasons behind it. Japan has a set of specific challenges when it comes to dealing with its waste. The biggest of these is lack of land suitable for landfill. In the 1960s, with it’s rising population, Japan would have to find a solution for its garbage or sink under the weight of its trash.
B：垃圾分类背后的原因我倒是没有认真思考过。不过我有疑惑，当垃圾都被分类回收后，接下来如何处理呢?有人告诉我对垃圾进行分类，是为了方便回收利用。但是日本的垃圾回收率却低于其他同样缺少垃圾填埋地的工业化国家，如荷兰和英国。我感觉挺奇怪的。
A: This is a fairly common misconception and one that I shared when I first arrived in Japan. Fluidized bed combustion is pretty exciting. It is a very efficient way of burning materials that don’t normally burn easily. It is cheaper, takes up less space, and produces fewer nitrogen oxides and less sulphur dioxide.
B：其实啊，我觉得缺少垃圾填埋地的一个重要原因是日本对产品的过度包装。如果你曾经在日本买过东西，你可能会注意到商品被过度包装了。一层又一层的塑料和纸板，一个袋子套着另一个袋子。日本痴迷于包装文化，这方面已有许多著述。