Sometimes, separating waste can take a lot of time. To properly recycle a plastic bottle, for example, we should pour out anything in the bottle and flatten (压平) the bottle before putting the cap back on and throwing it in the recycling bin. But that’s nothing compared to (与……相比) the recycling efforts of people in Kamikatsu, a village in southwestern Japan.The 1,500 villagers there are on a path to a zero-waste life.

The Zero Waste Centre is Kamikatsu’s recycling facility (场所). There, the villagers separate their waste into 45 groups—there are nine groups for paper products alone. They clean and dry dirty items to make them ready for recycling.

The village runs a reward system (奖励制度). People can collect recycling points in exchange for environmentally friendly products. There are signs that show what new items will be made from the recyclables. The village often reports how much money it has saved by working with recycling companies rather than burning all the waste.

Next to the Zero Waste Centre is a special shop. There villagers can drop off items they don’t want any more, and others can take them home. This past January alone, about 450 kilograms of items were re-homed. The number is shown in the shop.

In 2020, Hotel Why opened its door to the public. It is built in the shape of a question mark as if it was asking, “Why do we create so much waste?” At check-in, guests cut bars of soap to get just the amount of they need for their stay. Each of them is given six bins to separate their waste.

We can learn from the villagers of Kamikatsu. Many of their practices can be introduced into large cities to make our world a green place.

In our solar system (太阳系), there is only one planet that is full of lives. It is our Mother Earth.

Just like mothers look after everything in homes, Mother Earth looks after everything around the world. Do you know when Mother Earth’s birthday is? It is April 22. People call the day the Earth Day. People around the world celebrate (庆祝) this day by making it very special for her . How do you think she will feel special? She will feel special if all of us love nature, keep it clean and use all of her seas, mountains and other natural resources (资源) in a right way.

Here are some other ways to keep her happy and healthy.

Walk or ride a bike. Cars, trains and planes make Mother Earth sick (病的), because they make pollution.

Don’t cut forests-- animals’ home. Animals are children of Mother Earth like us.

Plant trees. Trees help the air clean.

When things around the house stop working, what do you usually do with them? If you’re like a lot of people, you probably just throw them away.

In some areas, it’s difficult to find people who can make repairs, and fixing things can be quite expensive. Also, some small objects are so inexpensive that it’s often easier to just buy a new one.

In 2009, Martine Postma from the Netherlands decided there must be a better way. Her solution was Repair Cafes: places where people can take broken items. There they will find tools, resources(资源) and volunteer experts who are ready to help with repairs.

Postma’s first Repair Café opened on Oct. 18, 2009, in Amsterdam, and was a huge success. News of the café was known by more and more people, and they began asking how they could start their own. In 2011, Postma set up the Repair Café Foundation. This nonprofit organization provides guidance to those hoping to begin their own neighborhood repair group.

Today, there are about 2,000 Repair Cafés around the world with meetings usually taking place once a month. Around 25 objects are repaired during each meeting. Everything is free, but donations(捐赠物) are greatly welcome.

The cafés not only provide help with repairs, they also strengthen community ties. Neighbors get to know one another as they work together on projects. Moreover, valuable knowledge is passed along and preserved (保存). Items are kept instead of being thrown away, meeting less rubbish in landfills.

Title: Repair Cafes