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 Recycling
Efforts
 Recycling
of Packaging Materials
Containers and packaging materials, such as glass bottles,
constitute 60 percent of the volume and 20 to 30 percent of the weight of
general waste. The Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling
of Containers and Packaging (Containers and Packaging Recycling Law) enacted
in 1995 is designed to help put such items into the recycling loop: consumers
separate them from non-recyclables before putting them out for pickup; municipalities
collect them; businesses manufacture them into new products; and consumers
purchase and use products with recycled content.
Recycling
of Home Appliances
Household appliances such as air conditioners,
television sets, refrigerators, and washing
machines are difficult to handle, much less recycle. They tend to end
up in landfills, therefore, and with their substantial dimensions put
a considerable strain on capacity.
This problem is being dealt with by the Law for Recycling of Specified
Kinds of Home Appliances enacted in 1998.
Recycling
of Construction Materials and Food Waste
Waste materials generated during construction
and demolition work, such as timber and concrete, constitute 20 percent
of industrial refuse, 40 percent of disposed waste, and 90 percent of
illegally dumped items. Meanwhile, waste produced in the manufacture,
distribution, and consumption of food products accounts for 30 percent
of general waste, with only 10 percent being composted or otherwise recycled.
The Law Concerning Recycling, etc. of Materials from Construction Work
(Construction
Recycling Law) and the Law Concerning Promotion of Reuse, etc. of Food
Cycle
Resources (Food Waste Recycling Law) were enacted in 2000 to help rectify
these
problems.
Dioxin
Control at Waste Disposal Facilities
Waste incineration facilities are a
major source of dioxin and other pollutants. The
Department is pursuing various measures to achieve the goal of reducing
the emissions of
dioxin and related compounds to 90 percent of the 1997 level by 2002.
Waste
Management in Urban Areas
Finding a suitable location for a waste
disposal site can be extremely difficult in a densely populated, economically
important urban area. As a way of overcoming this challenge, the Department
is implementing a plan, dubbed "Phoenix Project," to build a
landfill accessible to multiple municipalities.
Proper
Treatment of Domestic Sewage
Most Japanese households have a flush
toilet to treat bodily waste but have traditionally lacked a means of
processing domestic sewage, a major cause of water pollution in areas
with no sewage infrastructure. To address this situation, the Department
is in the process of distributing sophisticated onsite septic systems
that can handle both wastewater and fecal matter.
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