This is a sponsored story, created and edited exclusively by Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Tokyo Updates website.
Tokyo is known for having little litter on the streets despite being a tourist city, but a project to further reduce its waste by making "ballot" smoking areas called Ask the Tobacco is under way. We spoke with Goro Yamashita, CEO of the company behind the initiative, cosodo inc.
Enticing smokers to use ashtrays
In 2019, Yamashita began working to solve the social issues posed by tobacco, such as the littering of cigarette butts and passive smoking. First, he researched where cigarette butt litter was the most prevalent in Tokyo.
"There was a limit to how much research we could do on our own, so we created a website where people could post pictures of cigarette butts they found on the street along with their location information. The first place we found a lot of them was in Shibuya Center-Gai. We picked them up along with other trash as volunteers, but only an hour after we finished, there were already fresh ones, which underscored the need for smoking areas."
Yamashita thought that setting up smoking areas along with a system that encourages smokers to use them would increase their effectiveness. This led to the creation of Ask the Tobacco, a ballot smoking area.
The ashtrays ask either-or questions such as "If you were to travel in time, which would you choose? A) The Cretaceous Period without dinosaurs, or B) The 25th century without hope" and "Which would you prefer? A) Everlasting love with no money, or B) Becoming an overnight billionaire but forever alone." Smokers can vote by tossing their cigarette butts into the A or B slot in the ashtrays.
"This makes it fun to use the ashtray. Instead of forcing smokers to do what you want them to do, we wanted to create a system that encourages them to do so. This concept is called 'nudging' and has become a popular business tool lately, such as putting footprints on the floor in front of supermarket checkout counters to encourage people to maintain social spacing when standing in line."
Food-related trash also reduced
These smoking areas have been installed at 12 locations nationwide, including five in Tokyo, with considerations for the surrounding areas to prevent the smoke from spreading outside and to address the problem of cigarette butts overflowing. The company handles most of the planning, installation and regular cleaning. Yamashita explains the impact of this initiative.
"In Shibuya, we counted cigarette butts every day for one week before and after it was installed, and the litter was reduced by 90% overall. When we talked to the smokers at the site, they said, 'Of course, if there is an ashtray, I throw it there' or 'I chose this place to smoke,' so these smoking areas definitely reduce cigarette butt littering. Moreover, it also led to a decrease in the large amount of food-related waste found there. The installation of the ballot smoking area may have acted as a deterrent."
Their impact is gradually spreading: "We heard that elementary school students found out about the ballot smoking areas and created trash cans that work in a similar way. There was one kid who came to interview us and make a report on our efforts as part of their summer homework. We received a request from high school students in Nagano Prefecture who wanted to set up a ballot smoking area in their town. We did so for a limited time and reduced discarded cigarette butts by 40%. A city hall in Tokyo even received a phone call from a citizen asking what it was."
These efforts have gradually raised awareness for reducing cigarette butt litter.
Looking ahead, Yamashita says, "At the moment, we are operating the ballot smoking areas using income from other businesses, and this project itself does not generate any revenue, therefore we cannot increase the number of smoking areas rapidly. However, I believe that more people will become aware of problems such as cigarette butt littering and passive smoking through this initiative, and that will lead to solving these problems."
Creating an inclusive city
The company also created smoking areas called The Tobacco at 92 locations nationwide, with more than 60 of them in Tokyo. They are elaborately decorated to create a relaxing smoking space and are frequented by foreign tourists among others.
"Tokyo has a long tradition of omotenashi (hospitality). Many families used to always keep their entrances clean and serve tea to the salespeople who came to their homes. I think one of the reasons why we have an increasing number of foreign tourists these days is that people sense that mentality in Tokyo.
"I believe there is so little garbage in the streets because we do not want to make other people uncomfortable. I want this city to be a place where both smokers and non-smokers respect each other when it comes to smoking. I think this will lead to the creation of an inclusive city where everyone can feel comfortable."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.