City-designated trash bags in Japan are running low as the conflict in the Middle East puts a strain on supplies of naphtha, a key ingredient in plastic.
In many parts of Japan, municipalities require residents to use specially designated trash bags, which can be found in local supermarkets and drug stores, as a way to charge a fee for garbage collection.
With social media-driven panic-buying also compounding the shortage problem, however, some local authorities have moved to permit the use of regular plastic garbage bags for disposal.
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