Abstract
In order to clarify the current situation regarding hoarding of materials in people’s homes and bulk waste disposal, we conducted several on-site surveys and a web-based questionnaire survey (n＝1037). Our survey revealed that 77.6% of elderly households had at least one oversized bulk waste disposal, which often consisted of a large mixture of items to be discarded. For many items, 20-30% of the all households had at least one bulk waste disposal, but there was no difference between homes of the elderly and others. As for the reason behind hoarding, clear differences were observed between elderly households and other households, for example, the elderly’s strong feeling of “mottainai,” or “not letting anything go to waste” along with the extra space available for storing things once children have left home. In conclusion, it was suggested that multiple factors result in the hoarding of a multitude of materials, which finally must be disposed of.
