YOKOHAMA - Garbage collectors in a Japanese city on Wednesday began riding electric kick scooters to move around collection sites on a trial basis to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses and the physical burden of the distance they cover.
It is the first utilization of e-scooters during garbage collections in Japan, according to the city government of Sagamihara, near Tokyo. Garbage collectors there are estimated to run about 6 kilometers a day.
Workers generally travel between designated collection sites, about 5 to 30 meters apart, without riding trucks.
The average age of workers at one of the waste collection companies providing services in Sagamihara stood at 58, and saving their strength and energy has been a key issue for the companies.
E-scooters used in the experiment require no driver's license as their maximum speed is capped at 20 kilometers per hour, and a total of eight demonstrations are slated to be carried out through Nov. 14.
The municipality in Kanagawa Prefecture hopes the move will provide a solution to the issue of labor shortages as well.
"I hope it will lead to a sustainable collection system," a city official said.
