Japanese sewage trucks now smell like chocolate

The new technology has been developed to help mask unpleasant odours.

Four Osaka-based companies recently got together to develop a new technology to help mask unpleasant odours emanating from vacuum trucks, which are commonly used to collect sewage from homes. On 29 September, the companies jointly announced that the foul-smelling trucks will now be able to emit a sweet, chocolate-like fragrance instead.

▼ And nobody is happier about the announcement than the truck drivers themselves.

Yamamoto Fragrance and Shikibo, a manufacturer of industrial products, created a pleasant-smelling “Deo Magic” deodoriser back in 2011, which has since been widely used in diapers and pet products. Realising a need for sanitation vehicles to also improve on their odours, the deodoriser has now been incorporated into the lubricating oil used in vacuum trucks, only this time with the addition of a chocolate-smelling fragrance.

▼ This driver pours the red-coloured “Deo Magic” lubricating oil into the vacuum truck.

According to a promotional video, a test run of the sweet-smelling truck out and about in a Japanese community met with positive results from everyone involved, with all of them saying it was great to not have to worry about the foul smell that usually accompanies the trucks and the work they do.

▼ Mmmm…chocolate…..

Twitter users, however, had more to say about the new technology.

“Why couldn’t they just aim for something odourless instead?”
“Chocolate companies should sue them over this!”
“Why did they have to use the smell of something brown? They should’ve used a fresh orange fragrance instead.”
“What happens when people want to lick the chocolate smell in the air?”
“I’ll never be able to eat chocolate ever again.”

Toho, who runs a fleet of sanitation vehicles, were also involved in the development of the new Deo Magic VC1 oil, and will begin selling it from October, with 20-litre (5.3 gallon) cans going for 35,000 yen (US$344.21). According to a representative at Shikibo, the new development is all part of their continuing contribution to improving the environment and the everyday lives of local residents.