From Rubbish to Rainbow - Zero Waste Life

Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that a life force resides in all creations. Valuing and caring for the things we use. A zero waste life. Pointing the way to better living for a new era. Based in a studio in Kuramae, downtown Tokyo, Komuro Maito is an artisan working with traditional plant-based dyes. The main ingredients for his dyes are essentially trash. Today, he's using onion skins. Boiling out the pigments from the skins, he makes onion dye. A source of colour valued since ancient times. Before it cools, he immerses the cloth. The result? A bright yellow blouse. Making dye from ordinary food waste lets us see the vital spark. It isn't just limited to onion skins. A few days later, Komuro is in Ibaraki Prefecture, about 80 kilometres from Tokyo. He's here to pick up ingredients for dye from Furuya Takayuki, a local landscaper. They meet up at the day's job site, where they're pruning roadside trees. In fact, the branches cut from these cherry trees are what Komuro is here for. These are cherry trees that have been pruned from local trees. I see. You have to dispose of the branches you cut. You have to pay money to dispose of them. I'm very grateful to be able to recycle them and use them for the next generation. Making dye from pruned or weather-damaged branches that would otherwise be discarded. That's Komuro's commitment to plant-based dyeing. It's a great honour to be able to take in the thoughts and lives of the people who grow them. It's a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They also visit Furuya's tree farm. Here, he raises trees for roadside plantings and other municipal landscaping projects. Wow. These two could talk trees for ages. But Komuro has noticed some recently cut branches. Thank you. Komuro is now back in his Tokyo studio. He gets to work right away, making dye from the cherry. In this case, he prepares the branches and leaves separately. First, the cherry branches go in the pot. Boiling down the ingredients is his favourite part of the process. Listening to each plant, he brings out the colour. For Komuro, who helped out in his father's dyeing workshop from an early age, that's the starting point. Even now, as an independent artisan, the challenge and fun of bringing out each plant's unique hues is what motivates him. I drink a lot of sakura. I think it's because it has a strong brown colour and sourness. Next, he makes dye from the leaves. The result is a vivid yellow. While carefully observing the condition of the leaves, they're boiled for around 20 minutes. And now, for the most nerve-wracking step, the actual dyeing. A light salmon from the leaves and a vivid pink from the branches. Once merely waste, the cherry is reborn in glorious colour. I think it's a good result. I'd like to send him a photo of the dye. I think he'll be surprised. Komuro holds monthly workshops in his studio. Today's participants get to experience traditional indigo dyeing. Some of his students also make their own dye from discarded materials at home. I make my own dyes from dried tangerines. I also make my own dyes from chestnuts. I make my own dyes from chestnuts. I was walking around and I saw a bus driver. I said, sorry, but could you open this for me? And he gave me a bag of dyes. Some even dye old clothes, giving them new life. By reusing discarded materials, you can create something really attractive. It's one way of thinking, one way of doing things. It's like a treasure trove of trash. I can only suggest dyeing. You can dye plants with pots, water, and fire.