Gome Pit, the Pop-Up Bar in a Waste Treatment Facility

Japan never ceases to surprise, especially when it invites its citizens to drink a cocktail at Gome Pit, a pop-up bar with an unobstructed view over a deep pit where tonnes of waste are piled up before being incinerated.

Located to the west of Tokyo, in the heart of Musashino Clean Center’s waste treatment facility, Gome Pit is definitely an incongruous bar. The managers hope that, by opening their clients’ eyes to waste, they will raise awareness of sustainable development and encourage Japanese people to recycle more. As well as the big glass window looking out on the excavator grabbing tonnes of waste, other windows act as touchscreens customers can use to find out information on the temperature of the incinerator and the quantity of waste incinerated that day, for example. According to a report published in the International Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Japan produced 437 million tonnes of waste in 2014, 50.6% of which was recycled.

Sitting comfortably with a glass in hand, curious customers will become aware of the usefulness of recycling and of the positive impact it has on the environment, and many vow to change their behaviour after their visit.

This pop-up bar may have won over the Japanese public, but the Musashino Clean Center remains open to visitors all year round and pursues its educative and preventative mission to encourage the public to recycle more of their everyday waste. The waste treatment centre is the first to set an example, having installed solar panels on its roof and creating a vegetable garden where the compost is made entirely from waste.