Danica Davidson
September 15, 2021 
How do you encourage more people to recycle? If you’re in Oita City in Japan, you use mega franchise Attack on Titan.
Japan has rules about recycling, but sometimes people still dump their trash into deposits that are meant for recyclables only. One case where this has been happening is next to some vending machines in Oita City. So Coca Cola, Attack on Titan and environmental group Change for the Blue all came together to launch a Titan trash can.
The idea behind it is that it will be so noticeable it will get people to stop and think, and so they’ll throw their trash into the Titan’s mouth instead of in the recycling bins. The trash can is a female Titan, but not a life-sized one, as that would be hard for people to reach.
Will this idea work? The people behind it are going to keep track of what gets dumped where. If it appears to make a difference, maybe some examples of it will pop up around Japan. As it is now, it might just be a temporary fixture, as it’s only scheduled to remain until November 22.
If you live in Japan, it can be found near the North Exit of Oita Station, right by the Orix Rent-a-car store.
Of course Attack on Titan has gotten a lot more made in its image than this trash container. The bestselling franchise has gotten its own museum, life-sized Titan statues, and statues of the main characters placed in the creator’s hometown. And then there’s the Titan sized Attack on Titan manga and Attack on Titan flipbook (though that one’s not official merchandise). So why not a trash can?
Do you think using pop culture images like this might be useful in America as well to encourage people to recycle?
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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