How I Stop Kitchen Garbage from Smelling During Summer in Japan
One of the least pleasant parts of summer in Japan is opening the kitchen trash can and immediately noticing the smell. Fish scraps are especially bad, but I was also surprised by how quickly watermelon and melon rinds could begin to smell. During Japan’s hot and humid summer, even a trash can with a tightly closed lid may become unpleasant before the next garbage collection day. When I first moved to Japan, I thought attaching a deodorizer to the lid would be enough. It helped a little, but it did not solve the real problem. The smell usually came from moisture and food scraps sitting in a warm kitchen for several days. After dealing with this for many summers, I slowly developed a routine using newspaper, baking soda, small plastic bags, and even the freezer. None of these habits began as part of a carefully planned system. I simply added each one after another leaking garbage bag or unpleasant smell. These are the methods that have remained part of our summer routine. Using Newspape...