Mildly Infuriating

I looked it up and they seem to still have them in train stations plus in areas where trash/recyclables is expected to be generated (convenience stores, vending machines, parks) so it seems like a bit of a stretch (also the reason for less trash cans being a 1995 sarin gas attack).

Even just the train station bit seems like an unfair comparison for places without any sort of public transportation (where people walked/biked from home). Yeah, I can see people being more likely to hold their trash if passing receptacles is part of their planned route.

No they're there, however there aren't trash bins once you leave the food vendor. If you walk away then you're responsible for the trash. So people just finish eating and dispose the trash there. Even if it's a stall or food truck, you can hand your trash back to the staff, they will happily accept it.

If it's for carry-out, people will pack their trash for disposal at home (you'll see a ton of people walking around with backpacks and totebags).

Yeah for this reason, you don't see this culture of eating/drinking while on-the-go in Japan lol. It's too inconvenient. It's something that tourists have to adjust to. But it's nice - the country is very clean and beautiful, no trash in sight. You might see some little old lady picking up a piece of trash that isn't even hers lol. That's the pride they take in their country.

Also there's an important difference in Japan that should be mentioned. A lot of the success is due to shame culture. You will feel like a bad person and get the side-eye for littering.

As far as this sign in England - I think suddenly taking away all the trash bins for a place that relies on them would be a disaster! But if that's the plan, then maybe taking only some away here and there could work over time. People need to be trained after all lol.

Source: I spent 1.5 months in Japan

I've never been to a Japanese cafe, but knowing what I know about them from Japanese acquaintances, yeah, mostly.

They'd probably either use actual dishware that is returned and washed, or yes, expect people to bring disposable waste home with them. Everything I've heard is that public trash bins are not non-existent, but they are rare.

Lots of corner stores and vending machines in Japan that sell basically full meals and no trash can in sight.

I don't think people realize that custodial staff are different than general park staff. If they have bins then they need to deal with that whole process and have at least one dedicated employee. I'd rather have to carry my trash and let the park use that money elsewhere.

For what it's worth, I do agree it's probably "gentrification" in the sense that the concept of carry in/carry out is more prevalent in middle class communities, mostly because they are more likely to engage in hobbies where or go to places where it's a more prevalent part of the culture. I'm not sure non-middle class people have the same experiences/lifestyle that lead to thinking this makes sense to do.

Different experiences then, because most people I've spoken to about it there and back home have talked about how clean it was despite that and commended the society for being so responsible with their waste.