Abandoned suitcases as vegetable planters? Tokyo hotel finds greener use for lost luggage
A hotel in Tokyo has found an unusual use for suitcases left behind by guests, repurposing them as planters for vegetables and herbs in its rooftop garden as part of a sustainability initiative, Qazinform News Agency learned from JiIJI Press .
Hotel Niwa Tokyo, located in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, launched its eco-Niwa project in 2022 to promote recycling of hotel waste through leaf mold production and rooftop gardening.
The hotel initially reused hemp bags previously used to transport coffee beans as planting containers.
However, because the bags proved insufficiently durable and allowed soil to spill out, the hotel sought an alternative solution.
It then began using abandoned suitcases left by guests as planters in the rooftop garden.
According to General Manager Kazuya Okawa, about 10 suitcases are left behind at the hotel each month. He added that roughly 90% of the hotel's guests are foreign visitors.
Earlier, it was reported that an emu briefly escaped from a mobile zoo in western Japan on Wednesday morning, before being safely captured, with no injuries reported.