Four Osaka-based companies have joint hands in coming up with a unique and much-needed solution to the gag-inducing stench of the sewage trucks that pollutes any place they pass through. These vacuum trucks are commonly used for sewage collection and disposal in the Japanese city, and always make the pedestrian scramble for dear life and all the drivers to keep their distance due to their disguising fetor. Given this problem, these four companies have come up with a solution that will now replace the terrible stench with a pleasant chocolate fragrance.
According to a Japanese newspaper Asahi, the creative solution was presented by Yamamoto Fragrances after a five year-old product development process. They did this in collaboration with Shikibo, which is a manufacturer of industrial products. The product is called ‘Deo-Magic’, and it creates a pleasant-smelling deodorizer akin to that of chocolate. Before this, the odour was primarily used in baby diapers and pet odor-eliminating products. Now the aroma has been infused with the vehicles’ lubricating oil. The Deo-Magic deodorizer is circulated across the truck, masking all the bad smell while spreading chocolaty goodness from every place it passes.
The incentive has triggered a mixed response from the people of Japan. While some, including the drivers of the trucks, are euphoric about the invention as they don’t have to deal with the wretched stench every day, other are a bit more critical. These people are uncomfortable with the association of chocolate and faeces, with comments like “Why did they have to use the smell of something brown? They should’ve used a fresh orange fragrance instead,” and “What happens when people want to lick the chocolate smell in the air?”, “I’ll never be able to eat chocolate ever again,” circulating on the social media.
The deodorizer-infused lubricating oil is also commercially available, and a 20-litre (5.3 gallons) can of Deo Magic VC1 oil has been priced at 35,000 yen ($344).
What are your views on this incentive? Do you think this is a good idea, or is there something inherently wrong with it? Comment box!