A sweet aroma envelops a neighborhood in Saito, Miyazaki Prefecture, whenever a tanker truck delivers dregs from distilling strong "shochu" spirits made with sweet potatoes.
The destination of the trucks is a brand-new recycling facility that turns sediment resulting from the production of shochu into ethanol to be used as an alternative to gasoline. Brazil mixes ethanol made from sugar cane with gasoline to fuel automobiles, while the United States uses corn.
"The sediment of 'imo' (sweet potato) shochu has a sweet fragrance," said Yosuke Tajiri, managing director of the Saito recycling cooperative. The cooperative's facility, which started operating in May, stands on high ground about 40 minutes by car from the city of Miyazaki.