Single-use plastic remains a major problem in Japan, where even individual pieces of fruit often come packaged.
But according to the OECD, residents of Japan generate only a third of the plastic waste their American counterparts do, and less than the average for the organization’s European members.
Japan also collects and recycles more plastic than many countries, though often for “thermal recycling” where waste is burned for energy.
Takano, 27, said some elements of “Plastic” are intended to evoke old Japanese ideas of sustainability.
“A key word in our culture is ‘mottainai’, which describes how much shame it is to waste things,” he told AFP.
In the past, it was believed that the spirit of an object “will appear as a ghost if you mistreat things and throw them away”, he said.