Activity Report of fiscal 2012

Recycling Status of Retailers

Many supermarkets collecthousehold-use paper cartonsat their storefronts.

Collection status of welfare work places

We are working on recycling!

In addition to collecting paper
cartons, welfare workplaces arealso involved in recycling activities.

Uny Co., Ltd.
(Head office: Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture)
Paper cartons put out by households make up
approximately 60% of the total volume collected atstorefronts by retailers such as supermarkets.
Our unique survey of store collection is based on theinformation provided by the Japan Chain StoresAssociation, Japan Consumers' Cooperative Union,and others. The total volume of paper collected fromstorefronts in fiscal 2011 was 33.0 thousand tons, areduction of 0.6 thousand tons from the previousyear. A large quantity of paper cartons have beencollected although this was affected to some extent
by the Tohoku disaster.
Household paper carton collection volume bycollection center (Estimated value)

9.3

Total

thousand tons
（16.5%）

13.9

thousand tons
（24.7%）

33

thousand tons
（58.7%）

56.2

thousand tons
Store collection
Municipality collection"Uny" is a chain store operating 227stores nationwide with a focus on theTokai area (as of the end of July 2011).
As a result of their efforts carried out based on their"Environmental concept" and "Environmental policy", Uny
was certified as an "Eco-First Business" in 2008, a first in
the retail industry.
When Uny began collecting various containers in 1998 toreduce and recycle containers and packaging, staff wereinstructed to also collect paper cartons. Uny installed
collection boxes at all their 217 food-handling stores. The
volume of containers collected in fiscal 2010 wasapproximately 622 tons. Products recycled from thecollected paper cartons are sold as "Environmentconscious products eco!on".
In order to ensure customers' had a good understanding of
their stores, Uny launched a program called "Ecolo StoreExpedition" in 2001. This program helps elementary school
children learn about the stores' environmental preservation
activities, environmental friendly shopping, and ecologicalhandicraft classes. Uny management wanted to add"postcard making from handmade paper" into this programand subsequently, employees ran this workshop withsupport from COMCEI.
Uny's programs encourage customers to have fun while
gaining an interest in environmental issues and to start
doing what they can now.
Activityexamples

Group collection

We are working on recycling!
Social welfare corporation - Welfare
Village Nanairo Sagyosho(Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture)

Collection by welfare workplaces and citizen's
groups is primarily run through private collection
boxes at supermarkets. Other than that, facilities atschools such as elementary schools, and collection
points run by municipalities and those used bygeneral households are the main source of collected
cartons.
Other than these collections, the above-mentionedorganizations are promoting paper carton recycling
activities, including creation of postcards andbookmarks using recycled paper cartons.
The estimated collection volume was approximately
a thousand tons, the same level as the previousyear.
Percentage by collection source of paper cartons collected bywelfare workplaces and citizen's groups"Nanairo Sagyosho" was established asa multifunctional workplace in April 2011in accordance with the fundamental
principles of the Services and Supports for Persons withDisabilities Act, ie: that "each person with a disability canlive an independent daily and social life according to theirown ability and aptitude". Among other services, theworkplace provides nursing and training services such as
job assistance.
Their activities include creation and sales of "handmade
postcards" based on recycling of paper cartons collectedby loca l sup erm ark ets , ele ment ary scho ol s, an dkindergartens. They also produce "handmade postcards"
and "lanterns for lantern floating" by making paper fromthousands of paper cranes that have been sent to theHiroshima Peace Memorial from all over Japan.
"Handmade postcards" created at Nanairo Sagyosho arealso sold in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in thePeace Memorial Park.
Activity
examples3％Collection from private facilities
such as supermarkets

16％
6％
12％

Collection from school facilities
such as primary schools

63％Collection from municipalities
Direct collection from households
Other

A workshop led by a technical advisor of COMCEI

18Activity Report of fiscal 2012●Recycling Status of Retailers"Water dripping process" used tocreate handmade postcards

Postcard with folded cranes interwoven

Activity Report of fiscal 2012●Collection status at welfare work places

19Activity Report of fiscal 2012

Collection Status of Municipalities and Voluntary groups

Volume collected throughmunicipality collection andvoluntary group collection
remain stable.

Collection of paper cartonsis promoted in about 90% ofmunicipalities in Japan.

Strict separate collection of paper
cartons is implemented in morethan 80% of municipalities in Japan.

We are working on recycling!
Nakano Ward, Tokyo

Execution rate of municipality collection andgroup collection
2.4％

（29）

7.9％

9.5％
（115）
40.7％

Ratio of paper carton collection types by city type

Both municipality collection and groupcollection are executed
Municipality collection is executed,
group collection data unknown
Group collection alone is executed
Municipality collection is not executed,
group collection data unknown
Neither are executed

General Government- Tokyo special Towns andcities decreed cities city wards villages

Total
Estimated volume (1,000 tons)

13.9

9.9

1.6

0.8

1.6

Estimated collection ratio by city type

100%

71%

12%

6%

11%

Collection volume per person (grams per person)

109

123

6293

133

Estimated volume (1,000 tons)

8.6

6.1

1.5

0.2

0.8

Estimated collection ratio by city type

100%

71%

18%

2%9%

Collection volume per person (grams per person)

6775

60

2364

Population by city type (millions)

127

81

26

9121,215

Municipality collection alone is executed（385）

Estimated municipality and group collection
volumes by city type

Change of municipality collection and groupcollection by city typeGroup collection (grams per person)

（495）

31.7％

Used (consumed) paper cartons are collected in two
ways in each municipality: separate collection(cartons are collected from separate residential
homes or from garbage stations), and basecollection.
More than 80% of municipalities employ separate
collection procedures for paper cartons. By city type,more than 60% of general cities and towns andvillages employ strict separate collection alone. Morethan 30% of government-decreed cities and Tokyo
special city wards employ base collection alone.
However, the percentage of the separate collection isgradually increasing.

Number of local governments responded（96）

7.8％
（95）

The survey estimated the municipality collection volume
and group collection volume after grouping the target
municipalities into four types: "General cities","Government-decreed cities", "Tokyo special city wards"
and "Towns and villages". In fiscal 2011, themunicipality collection volume was 13.9 thousand tons,
and the group collection volume was 8.6 thousand tons.
There was no large fluctuation in the collection volume
per person since the collection volume in general cities,
which share more than 60% of the national population,
has remained stable over the past few years. However,one problem is the still low collection rate ingovernment-decreed cities and Tokyo special citywards.

Municipality collection Group collection

Among the 1,742 municipalities in the country, our2011 survey was conducted in 1,728 of themexcluding 14 areas that have been affected by thedisaster, and received responses from 1,215
municipalities. The total population of municipalities
that responded to the survey made up 89.1% of thetotal population
In the survey, paper carton collection that is carriedout by municipalities and certain associations iscategorized as "municipality collection", and thatcarried out by citizen's groups registered withmunicipalities is categorized as "group collection".
The execution rates of municipality collection andgroup collection were about the same as those of theprevious year. The municipality collection rate was80%, and the group collection rate was, excluding
cases where no answers were received, 49%. Either
municipality collection or group collection was
executed in 88% of local governments. In otherwords, almost 90% of municipalities are helping tocollect paper cartons.

100

Fiscal 2008
Fiscal 2009
Fiscal 2010
Fiscal 2011

80

58.9%

General cities
Governmentdecreed cities
Tokyo special
city wards
Towns andvillages
Total

24.0%

25.0%

43.8%

39.1%

26.1%
76.9%
65.2%

17.1%
31.3%
34.8%
9.6% 13.5%

18.5%

16.3%

Separate collection only
Both separate collection and base collection
Base collection only

Nakano Ward, which is located at the west
end of the Musashino Plateau, developed
during the Edo Period as a strategic location
for goods distribution as well as a supply center for grain andvegetables for citizens. In modern times, the ward's population
has increased thanks in part to the opening of a rail route. It has
also developed into a residential neighborhood for people who
commute to the heart of Tokyo.
Nakano Ward promotes a "Go for zero-trash life" campaign toencourage people to positively utilize recycled products byparticipating in and cooperating with the resource recycling
movement. The ward is now working to encourage residents toreduce their trash by 100 grams per day per person. Nakano
Ward calls for citizens to participate in and cooperate with theresource recycling movement. As part of such efforts, its website
features a specific objective such as, "Target weight of a milk
carton - 30 grams".
Concerning collection of used paper, Nakano switched fromward-initiated collection to group collection in March 2007. 223
organizations are registered for group collection (as ofSeptember 2012). Orange flags and curtains featuring the words"Group Collection Storage Site" are used at collection sites. Milkcartons are treated as miscellaneous recyclable paper
resources (packaging papers, cake boxes, tissue paper boxes,
catalogs, pamphlets, milk cartons, etc.) just like newspapers
and cardboard. Some residents' associations specify "usedclothes and cloths", "paper cartons" and "aluminum cans" forseparate collection. Nakano Ward officials have stated that theyalso want to begin separate collection of paper cartons in a
step-by-step manner.
According to comments from people in Nakano Ward, it iscurrently difficult for them to carry out separate collection ofpaper cartons due to the large number of single people living in
the ward. As a result, the ward is asking citizens to put out
paper cartons along with miscellaneous recyclable papers andmagazines.
Activityexamples

General cities

60

TotalTowns and villages

Government-decreed cities

40

Recycling workshop hall (Nakano ZERO)

Explanation on making postcards from handmade paper

20

Tokyo special city wards
0020

40

60

80100120

140160

Municipality collection (grams per person)

20

Activity Report of fiscal 2012●Collection Status of Municipalities and Groups

Activity Report of fiscal 2012●Collection Status by Municipalities and by Groups

21

Activity Report of fiscal 2012

Recycling Status of Schools

Paper carton collection
from households is being
positively promoted.

Material flow of milk cartons for schools(Estimated value)

Dairy productmanufacturers

Top: Fiscal 2011
Bottom: Fiscal 201011.8 100%
11.8 100%Volume processed byschools using own methods

6.8 57.2%
5.9 49.6%

Use for toilet rolls has
greatly increased.

We are working on recycling!

The total collection volume of paper cartons used atschools was 11.8 thousand tons, the same volume as
the previous year. Seventy eight percent of this volume,or 9.2 thousand tons, was collected for recycling. The
volume of paper cartons processed at schools using
own methods has increased in fiscal 2011. About 70%of the collected volume is recycled, and this percentage
is increasing.
Paper cartons are reused in the science andmathematic classes in primary schools. Collection ofpaper cartons from children's homes is also promoted.

Schools

Recycling Status of Recycled Paper Manufacturers

Unit: 1,000 tons

Volume accepted bydairy product manufacturers

5.1 42.8%
6.0 50.4%

Goudo Cho Goudo Primary School

Shinei Paper Manufacturing Company(Goudo Cho, Anpachi Gun, Gifu Prefecture)(Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture)

Goudo Cho is located in the northwest of
the Nobi Plain, specifically on the westbank of the Ibigawa River. Goudo
Primary School, which is located in the center of the town,
is a historic school established in 1873. The number ofchildren is 511 at this school. In a bounteous environment
with newly completed school buildings, the school children
are working hard at study and playing sports under theschool's educational concept, "Accomplish your aim". They
engage in various activities created around the PTAactivities and with support from the town's fire company,
the chambers of commerce, and the club of elderly people.
Recycling and ecological activities are also very popular.
Recycling of paper cartons and bottle caps has been
incorporated into the integrated study program for morethan 10 years. They bring paper cartons from their homeevery Wednesday, and on a bulletin board, they post thenumber of paper cartons and the toilet rolls that can berecycled from the paper cartons. They also post the numberof vaccine shots that becomes available with recycled caps.
This activity is helpful to enhance their recycling awareness.
In 2011, they collected approximately 9,000 paper cartons.
Additionally, our onsite lessons have set off the idea, after
talking with the town office, to resume recycling of 200 ml
milk cartons for schools that was suspended three years
ago.
Activity
examplesIn the 25 recycled paper manufacturers thatanswered the questionnaire, 19 manufacturers haveaccepted paper wastes generated by paper cartonmanufacturers and beverage manufacturers, andpaper cartons collected from households andbusiness facilities.
The total volume of accepted paper cartonsconsisting of domestically collected paper cartonsand imported used paper cartons amounted to 119.7
thousand tons. About 80%, i.e. 95.7 thousand tons,
were used as recycled paper. The usage volume of
toilet rolls has increased to two thirds of the total
volume in fiscal 2011. The balance is used for tissue
paper, kitchen paper etc.
Use for recycled products
0.98.2

Total

thousand tons（26.3%）

DiscardedvolumeDiscardedvolumeCollection
volume4.7 39.4%
4.0 33.8%

2.1 17.8%
1.9 15.8%

0.5 4.1%
0.5 4.4%

4.6 38.7%
5.4 46.1%

Shinei is a recycled paper-based toilet
roll manufacturing company establishedin 1961. It mainly produces corelessproducts such as "CORELESS" rolls. In addition to paper
cartons for beverages, miscellaneous recyclable papers,
train tickets, and confidential documents are recycled. Outof about 100 tons of used paper processed every day, theyutilize about 50 tons for toilet rolls and pulp about 30 tons
to supply to group plants as raw material. They utilize nonpaper materials adhered to used paper - approximately 20
tons - as fuel where possible.
In order to produce high-quality strong white toilet rolls,
30% or more of used base paper (raw paper) is sourced
from paper cartons for beverages. Used paper is dissolvedin a machine, foreign substances and ink are extracted,
and the resulting mix is formed into large rolls of paperusing a paper machine. Rolls of paper produced in thisway are rewound to toilet roll size and then cut to therequired width. During this process, if any paper is
produced that is not able to be used, it is dissolved again.
They exercise ingenuity about the width of toilet rolls tominimize waste.
Activity
examplesthousand tons
（1.0%）

thousand tons
（8.6%）

25.1

Collection
volumeWe are working on recycling!

95.7

61.3

thousand tons
（64.0%）

thousand tons
Toilet rolls
Tissue papers
Kitchen papers

0.2

thousand tons
（0.2%）

Cardboards
OtherTotal discarded volume

2.6 21.9%
2.4 20.2%
Volume processed byschools using own methods

68.9%
68.1%

Total collection volume

9.2 78.1%
9.4 79.8%

Collection rate based on
acceptance by
dairy product manufacturers

Monitoring of power consumption(Screen of weekly report graph)

School children welcomed us

A group of coreless productsWinding paper machine for recycled pulp

90.5%
91.3%

※Processing by schools using own methods refers to deliver paper cartons directly to
local governments or used paper recyclers.
※Figures may not add up to total due to rounding.

22Activity Report of fiscal 2012●Recycling Status of Schools

Activity Report of fiscal 2012●Recycling Status of Recycled Paper Manufacturers

23