Rubbish problems: Japan city lights up sewer covers, takeaway waste clutters Hong Kong

There are severe sewer problems in Japan. And in Hong Kong. What the coronavirus pandemic has done is giving the authorities a more interesting way to resolve them.

The humble manhole cover might not seem like much of a blank canvas, but one Japanese city is reimagining the possibilities with illuminated versions featuring anime characters.

Tokorozawa, near Tokyo, is hoping the unusual additions will attract visitors, including enthusiasts of the painted decorated manhole covers that adorn some of Japan's streets.

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Japan is no stranger to decorative manhole covers, boasting everything from ornately engraved versions to ones painted with city mascots.

A total of 28 manhole covers were installed throughout the city on August 1, featuring anime characters like Gundam robot and from "Neon Genesis Evangelion" sci-fi animation series and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" TV series.

The covers light up from 6 pm to 2 am using solar power, illuminating the pavements that lead from the city's main train station to a new cultural complex, featuring an anime museum.

They are part of the project in which the city collects revenue by allowing private companies -- in this case major media group Kadokawa -- to use manhole covers for advertising.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, a deluge of trash from takeaway containers and disposable cutlery is cluttering the streets and parks as coronavirus restrictions on dining in restaurants eat away at the city’s capacity to dispose of its garbage.

The dining restrictions in the China-ruled Asian financial hub ban eating in any outlet after 6 p.m. At other times in the day, restaurants can only operate at half-capacity and with two people per table.

As a result, plastic from eating out has doubled from last year since takeaway food is the only option for many people who do not cook at home. Hundreds of thousands of people in the crowded city live in compact apartments with tiny or non-existent kitchens.

Pavements in residential and office areas are littered with Styrofoam boxes and coffee cups spilling out from bins, while plastic bags and wrappers are seen floating at popular swimming sites.

Single use plastic tableware is one of the top ten categories of marine litter in Hong Kong, according to the World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong.

To this end, WWF-Hong Kong said it was working with delivery companies, Deliveroo and Foodpanda, to combat disposable plastic cutlery.

The government also has started promoting minimising the use of disposable tableware “wherever practicable”, such as not asking for plastic bags or disposable tableware when ordering takeaways.

A waste charging bill, proposed over a decade ago and aimed at tackling soaring waste, was put off the legislative agenda again in June due to time constraints.