Kamikatsu is the first town in Japan to produce almost no trash and the home of a stunning recycling center made almost entirely out of upcycled materials. Kamikatsu issued a Zero Waste Declaration in 2003, and today, more than 80% of its trash is reused or recycled, said a representative from architecture firm Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP. With the goal of keeping its trash out of landfills and incinerators, the town commissioned Hiroshi Nakamura to design the Zero Waste Center, a sustainable community center with recycling facilities, a reuse shop, community space, and a hotel.
According to the architecture firm, the center was primarily built from remnant wood logs and cuttings. And the community also donated the 700 windows that are patched together across the facility’s facade. Aside from donations, community members sourced materials from deserted houses, a former government building, and a closed school, according to the firm. The town repurposed recycled glass and pottery to make tile floors and donated materials like bricks and fabric to build the interior spaces.