Smart trash cans to the rescue

Ready to handle the mess: Over 200 smart trash cans can be found across other major tourist hot spots, including the Arashiyama bamboo forests of Kyoto. — The Straits Times/ANN

THE nation has long managed to keep its streets spotless despite having no trash cans in sight, but cities are now turning to “smart” bins as tourist numbers – and the amount of garbage – surges.

This week, the tourist-heavy Dotonbori district in Osaka installed around 20 new technologically enabled garbage cans called SmaGO.