[/floatr]Residents in Nagoya report that groups of foreigners are taking bundles of old newspapers and cardboard from doorsteps before the regular collectors have a chance to get to them. Wholesale recycling depots can pay up to nine yen a kilo for such used paper. Local neighbourhood associations often raise funds by organizing collections and then selling bundles themselves but are being thwarted by these new interlopers. It's not clear that they are doing anything illegal, however. Residents have therefore resorted to posting warning notices in Spanish and Portuguese while also mounting lookouts and patrols on recycling days. Eyewitnesses report seeing trucks with Mie prefecture licence plates. Mie also had similar problems and introduced local ordinances to penalize these fly-by collections so it looks like the groups have gone further afield.
Link (Japanese)
