Activity topics"Plan 2015" : Status of our Efforts in the Fourth Year

"Plan 2015"
Action plan for paper car ton
recycling-Report on achievements of the fourth year-

Our four committees have promoted activities based on
the action plan.
1. General Affairs Committee(1)To achieve a collection rate of 50% or more
①Basic survey on paper carton recycling and calculationof the collection rate
In response to the lowering of paper carton collection
rates in the recent years, the Committee framed ahypothesis on this trend to gain an understanding of thevolume that was not calculated in the past surveys, basedon various hypotheses.We have conducted composition
analysis of mixed papers in Matsudo to determine thequantity of paper cartons disposed of as mixed papers.
②Hosting of a regional conference to promote carton
recycling
This year, the conference was held in Chiba andKanagawa. Prior to the conference, the Committee
members visited the local governments in these areas toobtain a general overview of the collection status in theareas. Then, based on the above-mentioned information,
they discussed ways to share information about thecollection method and problems that may affect thecollection rate.
③Installation of improved paper carton collection box
We built a small collection box for offices with limited
space while continuing to distribute collection boxes thatwere improved last year.
(2) We drew up and submitted our public comments on
the revision of Act on the Promotion of Sorted Collection
and Recycling of Containers and Packaging.
2. Publicity Committee(1) Promotional and educational projects①Expansion of website
We have revised the overall layout of the website's design
after reviewing it with the management company andutilizing an analytical tool.
②Uchiwa (paper fans) in three coloring picture designs
were created as the educational tools.

Organizational
Chart ofCOMCEI

GeneralAssembly

Administrative
Board

Planning andSteering
Committee

Friendly Environment Loop Forum③The committee worked to plan and edit the Annual
Report 2015.
(2) Collection promotion projects①The committee planned the publishing of the fourth
edition of “Milk Carton Recycling – Nationwide Collectionof 20 Cases” with the cooperation of JAMRA. In addition,
expert committee panels and JAMRA gathered information
about new cases, and updated the cases that wereintroduced in the third volume.
②The committee reviewed plans and designs of theeducational POP of recycling for mass merchandise
stores with the General Affairs Committee.
3. Event Committee(1) Environmental education and expansion of activities
through paper carton recycling① The committee hosted a recycling workshop in fivecities and stores, and on-site lessons at eight elementary
schools with the cooperation of JAMRA.
②It also participated in environmental fairs including the
Eco-Life Fair 2014, Adachi Global Environment Fair 2014,and Eco Products 2014.
(2) The committee also planned the "Learn and Play" with
the Milk Cartons Contest.
To cope with the lower number of entries, the committee
asked the educational boards of Tokyo and threeprefectures to cooperate with the event along the lines ofthe successful example carried out in Saitama last year.
4. Local Organization Board(1)Discovery and support of individuals who have potential
to lead local paper carton recycling activities①The board worked to expand the recycling network toenhance the paper carton collection rate by lending
various panels to environmental events and distributing
leaflets at event sites.
②The board revised the guidelines for support of theevents to enable more efficient operation.
③The board worked to enhance and activate cooperation
with local organizations by lending educational tools to
local environmental fairs that local companies andsupporters participated in.

In this forum in which members of local governments,
welfare organizations, and associated companies
participated, activities and case examples of milk
carton recycling at welfare organizations were reported.

[Friendly Environment Loop Forum] October 30
The Friendly Environment Loop Forum and the general
networking assembly, which were hosted by JAMRA andsupported by COMCEI, were held in the Osaka Industry
Creation Hall.The theme this year was "Informationexchange on activities at welfare organizations relevant
to milk carton recycling". A total of 114 people fromwelfare organizations, local governments and associatedcompanies participated in the forum.
In the opening address, Ms. Hirai, Director General of
JAMRA explained the purpose of this forum by referringto the transition from "National Convention of the JapanM i l k Ca r to n Re cyc l i n g A s s o c i a t i o n " to " Fr i e n d ly
Environment Loop Forum", JAMRA's activities, howwelfare organizations have been carrying out paper
carton recycling activities, and the intercommunication
occurring between welfare organizations.As part of acongratulatory speech by a guest of honor, Mr. Nakamura
Chairperson of COMCEI explained the objectives of the"Plan 2015" action plan, which is now in the process of
being established, as well as COMCEI's commitment toincreasing the paper carton collection rate.
In the keynote address, Mr.Hisazawa,Chairman introduced
the activities of the Osaka Vocational Aide Center, as
well as events, bazaars and sales activities conducted bywelfare organizations around the country.

Mr.Okuue, Representative of Mugino Kai, the exchange
center for aficionados of handmade paper, explained thefundamental principles of "Mugino Kai", namely, ① Reducing
volume of waste papers, ② Protecting forestry resources,③Supporting welfare organizations, and ④ Paper-making
classes (environmental education) in connection withconstruction of a network among welfare organizations
based on products recycled from handmade paper. The
representative mentioned the importance of creating a
network and called for cooperation to take action to counterthe difficulty involved in obtaining used paper cartons today,
and to expand sales channels for paper carton-based
recycled products produced at welfare organizations.
The following anecdotal reports were presented.①"On Milk
Carton Collection Activities" by Everyone's Labor andCulture Center (NPO),②"Paper Carton Collection Operation
i n C o ffe e C h a i n s " b y A n j a e n o f a s o c i a l w e l fa r e
corporation,③"Voluntary Making of Products Such as
Handmade Paper and Relationship with the Community" by
Ikoma Kai Kazaguruma, and④"Joint Activities with Silver for
Production of Handmade Paper from Milk Cartons" by
Kouryoucho Eco-Center. Activities such as paper carton
collection and paper making using used paper that helps
enhance our relationship with local communities wereintroduced.
The forum then proceeded to exchange ideas and introduce
products produced at welfare organizations. Furthermore,
there was a rare opportunity for attendees to listen to stories
about the activities and issues at welfare organizations.In
the succeeding get-together, information was shared bymany enthusiastic participants from welfare organizationsand various companies with the forum ending on a highnote.

Activities of each committee are reported at the monthly
committee meeting and the quarterly steering committee
meeting that administrative board members attend inorder to confirm accomplishments and to enable thecommittees to carry out necessary modifications so that
relevant activities continue.

Expert Committee
General Affairs
Committee

Publicity
Committee

Event
Committee

Local Organization
Board

Local Organization
Board members

Speech by the organizer: Ms.Hirai, Director General of JAMRA

Key note address: Mr.Hisazawa, Osaka Social Welfare Council
Chairman of Osaka Vocational Aide Center2

Activity topics●"Plan 2015"

Activity topics●Friendly Environment Loop Forum3

Activity topics

Regional conference to promote carton recycling

COMCEI held local conferences topromote recycling through sharing
information with local communities.

The "Regional conference to promote carton recycling" isheld each year. Its objective is to increase the rate ofpaper carton recycling via gaining an understanding of
the current situation and problems in each local
community.The 2014 conferences were held in t wo
locations: Saitama and Osaka.
The conferences were attended by a variety of members
from the government, local authorities, citizens' groups
and associated business operators. Participants reported
their activities and also raised problems they wereconcerned about. The conference helped deepen mutual
understanding among participants, encouraged them toshare infor mation, and helped them confir m theircommitment to further promote paper carton recycling.

Regional conference for promotion of paper
carton recycling in Tokatsu, Chiba prefecture◆Date held

August 29, 2014

The conference was attended by 39 members from the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, local
governments, citizens' groups, dairy product manufacturers, paper cartonmanufacturing companies, and paper recyclers.

[Major reports and presentations on relevant issues]●A guest of honor from the Ministry of Economy, Trade andIndustry mentioned the target collection rate and utilization
rate of used papers. He requested that attendees make acontribution to the development of recycling through various
ideas such as promoting stockpiling of toilet rolls. Then, aguest from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
explained that although paper cartons are not currently
included in the target of the mandatory recycling in the
Recycling Law, collection and recycling of paper cartons arevery important and further efforts need to be made in thisarea.
●COMCEI reported its business lineup and the specific activities
of its four committees. Then COMCEI explained the problems infulfilling five items of the road map created for accomplishing
the target collection rate in 2015 as well as specific activities
conducted to date. The five items are ①Providing theopportunities for enhancing paper carton collection in local
regions,②Promoting domestic paper carton collection,③Promoting collection of paper cartons used outdoors and atshops,④Promoting activities in educational facilities and placesof learning, and⑤Enhancing communication about recycling.

Regional conference to promote carton
recycling in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture◆Date held

●COMCEI repor ted results of inter views with local
governments. Results indicate that sorted disposal andcollection were becoming difficult due to the increase in
the number of households containing single and elderly
people. Some local governments provide collection gear tocollection bodies, and some utilize collection traders whenrequested. COMCEI further reported on the current statusof garbage stations, group resource collection, activities topromote collection by retailers, and educational activities
directed at consumers. A question-and-answer session
was held after the presentation.
● JAMRA stressed the importance of sharing recognition of
the current status of paper carton recycling with local
governments. JAMRA then introduced an advanced caseof a high-rise apartment in Osaki, which is a new target ofcoverage for " Milk Car ton Recycling – Nationwide
Collection of 20 Cases ". JAMRA believes that collecting
information on a range of cases can help establish
relationships among local governments.
●A local government introduced the case in which they
infor med citizens about the collection system at"Collaborator Stores of Waste Reduction" by inserting
store names into books on recycling.
●Representatives from used paper recyclers and used paper
wholesalers described the importance of profitability andmaintaining good relationships with competitors. They said
paper cartons were a precious resource even though thetotal volume of paper cartons was very small.
●Participants raised various issues including problems
related to collection methods, measuring the collectedamounts, and the importance of independent collection
and collection of paper cartons used for school lunches,and engaged in a lively exchange of opinions.

Activity topics●Regional conference to promote carton recycling[Major reports and presentations on relevant issues]●The guest speaker from the Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry explained that recycling of containers andpackages was based on the cooperation of the local
government, citizens, and business operators. He alsomentioned that used paper cartons were high quality
paper-making material, and that there are increasing
expectations that the collection rate will increase because
it is becoming difficult to secure high quality used papers.
The guest speaker from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries explained that he expected to see
positive commitments from local communities andbusinesses in the area of recycling because it is a criticalprocess.
●COMCEI reported on the activities of four committees
engaged in promoting recycling of beverage paper
containers, dissemination of knowledge about theenvironment, and investigative research.It was also
reported that the collection rate in 2012 was 44.2% against
the target value of 50%.
●Representatives of the nine cities and a collection groupreported on paper carton collection approaches,
recovered amounts, and problems related to recovery
efforts. Concerning the cities that did not participate in theforum, a member of the expert committee reported theirapproaches based on interviews carried out with them.
●According to JAMRA, grass roots activities of citizens'organizations are making significant contributions toincreasing group collection volumes within Kanagawa.
Regarding collection at mass merchandise stores, people
are less resistant to put out trash at mass merchandise
stores than at other locations. At any rate, there are many

Locations of Regional Conference●Locations of Regional Conferences in 2014

●Hokkaido●Locations of past conferences●Aomori●IwateYamagata● ●Miyagi
Niigata●●Fukushima

Ishikawa●●GunmaNagano●●Ibaraki
Saitama●
Fukui●●Gifu
Kanagawa ●Tokyo
Shimane●●
Kyoto Shiga ●Aichi●Chiba●●Okayama●●Shizuoka
Hyogo ●
●Mie
Hiroshima●
Osaka●
Fukuoka●Saga●●Ehime●Oita●Tokushima●Kochi●KumamotoA regional conference in Tokatsu, Chiba

4

November 11, 2014

The conference was attended by 43 members from the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, local
governments, citizens' groups, dairy product manufacturers, paper cartonmanufacturing companies, and paper recyclers.

problems related to resource collection, which makes it
essential to work together with the public administration.
●The participant from Fujisawa City reported that the city
had participated in the Checkout Bag Reduction Council,
and is also promoting store collection jointly with massmerchandise stores. In addition, the city launched the
Waste-Reduction Stores Registration System, in which all
136 stores in the city participated. The city also introduced
store collection of paper cartons via the Internet.
●A participant from Genki Net pointed out that we need toconstruct a network to raise awareness among citizens, inparticular senior citizens, and to provide relevant feedback
to them.
●A person from a paper manufacturing company mentioned
current problems relevant to the collection processincluding falling trends in collection volumes, the influenceof falling milk sales, and commingling of cartons with
mixed papers to be exported.
●Participants shared ideas and opinions about problems
related to collecting and recycling paper cartons. The
problems included care required after use, convenience ofcollection centers, commingling of mixed papers whenputting out paper cartons, and recognition of the current
situation involving export of used papers.
●Participants actively presented problems they had andshared ideas and opinions on the subjects at hand such as
approaches to stores, in particular mass merchandise
stores, to promote store collection, recognition of export
volumes of used paper cartons, and construction ofcommunity-oriented collection centers (installation ofcollection centers close to residents in large apartmentcomplexes and housing estates).

A regional conference in Kanagawa●Okinawa

Activity topics●Regional conference to promote carton recycling5

Activity topics

Stakeholders' meeting to promote recycling

An important forum to exchange
views on the current status andtasks of recycling among relevantorganizations.

Workshop on milk carton recycling

An enjoyable workshop where people
learn about the current status ofrecycling and experience it firsthand.

[26th Stakeholders' Meeting to Promote Recycling ofPaper Cartons for Beverages]
The 26th Stakeholders' meeting to promote recycling washeld on February 6 in the Nyugyo Kaikan meeting hall. A
total of 65 people attended from the Office for Recycling
Promotion of the Ministry of the Environment, Office forEnvironmental Program of the Ministry of Agriculture,
Consumer and Recreational Goods Division of the
Ministry of Economy, Recycling Promotion Division of the
Ministry of Economy, local authorities, citizens' groups,
NPO associations, recycled paper manufacturers, usedpaper recyclers, and base paper companies.
In the opening speech, Mr. Yamato, Chairperson of
COMCEI (then) expressed the objective, history and goalsof paper carton recycling activities after thanking theparticipants for attending.The representative from the
Ministry of the Environment remarked that recycling ofcontainers and packages had started with this paper
carton recycling activity, in particular considering its 26year history.The speaker from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries noted that the efforts of COMCEIin the area of recycling were a visionary model case for
future measures.
Then the Secretariat of COMCEI reported on the status
of:①the voluntary action plan "Plan 2015",②present
status and trends of recycling paper car tons forbeverages,③Web survey in Kanto and Kansai, and④
organizational operation and tasks of COMCEI. The four
expert committees of COMCEI then reported on theirrespective activities.

Among the reports from associations and companies, Ms.
Hirai, Director General of JAMRA repor ted on the"Statistical data obtained from status survey of welfareorganizations in milk carton recycling". This was followedby report on the activities of Uny Group Holdings Corp.,
Nisseisangyo Corp., and Nihon Tetra Pak K.K.
In the latter half of the discussion on paper carton
recycling, participants from each municipality noted thatthey used materials provided by COMCEI for promotion
purposes as well as to promote recycling-focused
educational activities. They also reported on the current
status and problems in the area of paper carton recycling.
In addition, the representative of paper manufacturing
companies mentioned that they were promoting recycling
through agreeing to run plant tours. He also noted that
incoming volumes of paper cartons were low this year due
to a fall in milk consumption possibly due to the weather.
Participants shared ideas and opinions on these subjects.
A participant from the recycling association requested thatcurrent recycling marks for paper be made easier torecognize via a revision of Act on the Promotion of Sorted
Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging
because there too many types of symbols. He also
proposed educating and communicating with consumers
about the ban on commingling restricted items in a morecomprehensive fashion.
Ms. Hirai, Director General of JAMRA said that we should
keep watching events in Osaka because they still utilize
municipal collection despite other cities shifting to groupcollection.

COMCEI holds Workshops on Milk Carton Recycling
ever y year aimed at boosting consumers'
understanding of the current status of paper carton
recycling and forestry administration in terms of
securing materials for paper. The workshops alsor a i s e c o n s u m e r s' at te n t i o n a b o u t m i l k c a r t o ncollection through experiencing the collection rules.

Host's speech: Mr. Yamato, Chairperson of COMCEI (then)Stakeholders

Disassembly of used milk carton by hand (Sagamihara City)[Sagamihara City] July 31
With cooperation from the Environment Section of
Sagamihara Cit y, COMCEI held a workshop at
Hashimotodai Recycle Square, which was attended
by 55 school children in 21 groups. The children were
mostly elementary school students.After making
original postcards from handmade paper, we ran an
ac t i ve q u e st i o n an d an swer s e s s i o n invo l v in gparents, while referencing the panels describing
recycling of milk cartons as well as actual products
made from recycled paper.

[Fuji mi City] August 21
This event was held as part of the "Children's College
Fujimi" learning program overseen by the secretariatof the city's educational board, which was attended
by 60 elementary school children and eight college
students or volunteers.Each participant brought in six
o r m o r e p a p e r c a r t o n s , w h i c h i n d i c ate d t h e i rawareness regarding environmental issues. They
deepened their understanding of milk car ton
recycling through Representative Hirai’s speech,m a k i n g p o s tc ar d s fr o m h a n d m ad e p a p er, a n ddisassembling milk cartons by hand.

[Nishi Tokyo City] August 5
We held the 6th Workshop on Milk Carton Recyclingin Tokyo as part of the event "Summer Vacation Free
Study in 2014" at Eco-Plaza Tokyo. An event called"Let's create original postcards from handmade
paper!"was held and attended by 48 children fromthird to sixth grades and 20 parents. All participants
made their own original postcards.
Speech by Ms. Hirai, Director General of JAMRA (Nishi Tokyo City)

How did your original postcards made from handmade paper come out?
(Fuji mi City)

6

Activity topics●Stakeholders' meeting to promote recycling

Activity topics●Workshop on milk carton recycling7

Activity topics

Onsite lessons on milk carton recycling

At a children's place of learning.
"Onsite lessons" are welcomed
every year at elementary schools
across the country.

In 2014, in collaboration with JAMRA, CONCEI held
" O n - s i te l e s s o n s o n m i l k c ar to n r e c yc l i n g " atelementary schools across the country.
[Ichihara City Chiharadai Sakura Elementary Schoolin Chiba Prefecture] January 29
This elementary school was founded only three years
ago.The onsite lessons were held in the gym for 134
fourth graders from four classes. Eight groups wereorganized in each class, and they all took turns
making postcards out of handmade paper. This wasa large-scale lesson involving eight pressing irons.
Some children wanted to make postcards for theirfriends who were absent from the school due to flu.
They all succeeded in making postcards.
[Edogawa Ward Shinozakidaini Elementary School inTokyo] February 14
A paper carton recycling program was launched at
this school in 2014 when the periods for integrated
study were installed.The lesson was given to 74
four th graders from two classes. Despite heav ysnow, many parents attended the lesson along withthe person in charge of waste reduction in the
Cleaning Section of the Environment Department of
Edogawa Ward.Using very cold water, the children
carefully made original postcards out of handmade
paper.

8[Noda City Futakawa Elementary School in Chiba
Prefecture] September 18
We gave an onsite lesson at Noda City Futakawa
Elementary School, which is located in the honeycolored rice fields between the Tonegawa River and
Edogawa River, and 75 4th graders from two classes
attended.In the paper carton recycling lesson, which
took place along with a lesson in postcard making
using handmade paper, self-proclaimed "old poppas"from COMCEI explained the paper recycling process
in a humorous way using a panel.The lesson helped
children gain an insight into manufacturing methods
involving recycled papers.
[Shizuoka Cit y Togendai Elementar y School in
Shizuoka Prefecture] September 25
The rain in the morning due to typhoon No.16 had
stopped when the lesson started for 108 fifth gradersfrom four classes.While watching the demonstrationof making postcards from handmade paper, one
student asked us a good question: "Why do you
c o m e a l l t h e w a y f r o m To k y o f o r t h i s o n s i t elesson?"We answered, "The collection rate of usedpaper cartons is still low, and that is why we arecarrying out educational activities."[Chikusei City Ueno Elementary School in Ibaraki
Prefecture] October 2
We presented an onsite lesson to 40 third and fourth
graders at Ueno Elementary School in Chikusei City,
which is located in the western par t of Ibaraki
Prefecture.A new carton collection box with a wider
slot was installed in the hallway. This new box waswell received in terms of how easy it is to insert aswell as remove paper cartons.In the postcard making
lesson, children looked happy with the finished cards
they had made with Halloween designs.
[N o g i - m ac hi To m o num a El em ent ar y S c h o o l in
Tochigi Prefecture] October 17
We presented a lesson to 26 fifth graders at Tomonuma
Elementary School, which has a 143-year history(founded in 1872.)In the lecture, Ms. Hirai, Director
General of JAMRA asked children, "Do you know
how many one-liter milk cartons it takes to make asingle roll of toilet paper?"They looked surprised
when they were told the correct answer was "six".
Children looked satisfied with the original postcards
they had made out of handmade paper.

[Oji Cho Ojikita Elementar y Sc hool in Nara
Prefecture] November 26
Oji Cho, northwest of Nara Prefecture, flourishes as
one of Osaka's commuter towns.This town is said tohave strong associations with Prince Shotoku.An onsite lesson was held at Oji Cho Ojikita Elementary
School, which is located in a residential area.The
lesson, attended by 57 fourth graders and threeteachers, began with a cheerful "Good morning".In
the on-site paper making lesson, students createdpostcards from handmade paper with great interest
despite the cold temperature of the water.
[Mito City Akatsuka Elementary School in Ibaraki
Prefecture] December 5
On the day the onsite lesson for 51 fourth gradersfrom two classes and two teachers was held, Japanwas hit by a cold wave for the first time this winter.
S t u d e n t s d e m o n s t r a t e d a f a i r l y h i g h l e ve l o f
understanding about recycling as indicated by the
number of correct answers they gave in the quizzes
held during the lecture. During the on-site paper
mak ing les son, stud ents mad e p ostc ar d s withreindeer and other Christmas designs.In the closing
remarks, the children said boldly that "We will always
continue recycling."

Handmade paper came out nicely!

Lecture on paper carton recycling by "old poppa"

Fascinated by recycling of paper cartons!

Here are our postcards made from handmade paper.

[Ichihara City Chiharadai Sakura Elementary School](Noda City Futakawa Elementary School)(Nogi-machi Tomonuma Elementary School)(Mito City Akatsuka Elementary School)

Activity topics●Onsite lessons on milk carton recycling

Activity topics●Onsite lessons on milk carton recycling

9

Activity topics

Eco-Life Fair/Eco Products 2014

Raising awareness regarding
importance of recycling.
Participants disassembled milk
cartons by hand and made paper.

[Eco-Life Fair 2014] June 7 and 8
The Ministr y of the Environment and relevant
associations have run the Eco-Life Fair every year
since the 1990's around Environment Day (June 5) inYoyogi Park, Shibuya, Tokyo. COMCEI participated in
the fair with JAMRA for the 8th time, and a total of
370 people visited this year.
In a tent in the Event Square, we demonstrated
postcard making using handmade paper and how tocreate accessor y pouches with the help of the"Tanpopo" citizens' group. We also explained thepaper carton recycling process to visitors using thepanels while running quizzes from time to time.In theworkshop, visitors learnt a number of skills, including
how to disassemble paper cartons by hand.Despite
the rain in the morning on the first day, there was aconstant stream of visitors coming to the tent. We
provided the opportunity to experience recycling tomany visitors during the two-day event.

"Learn and Play" with Milk Cartons Contest

COMCEI booth was thriving every day.
We participated in one of the largest
environmental exhibitions in Japan.

[Eco Products 2014] December 11 to 13
The largest environmental exhibition in Japan, "Eco
Products Exhibitions", has been held every year since
1999, and 2014 marks the 16th time it has been held.
COMCEI participated in this exhibition along with thePromotion Council of Milk Carton Recycle ProductM a r k . A to ta l o f 16 1 , 6 4 7 v i s i to rs a tte n d e d t h e
exhibition, and 1,607 people visited the COMCEI
booth and took part in events.Various events were
hosted in the booth including a "Environmental panel
rally" that explained the r ules of paper car ton
re cyc l i n g, va r i o u s e d u c a t i o n a l m a te r i a l s we reproviding such as the "Stor y of Waste", and aworkshop on "Disassembling milk cartons by hand".
In addition to the above, visitors experienced postcard
making using handmade paper, which was co-hosted
by JAMRA. Through the various exhibitions andactivities, we were able to share infor mation to
deepen understanding of paper carton recycling andask for cooperation.

Creation of Takeru Kubotani
T h e G ra n d - Pr i x p r i ze wa sawarded to "This is my Kurihara
Elementary School"

2,720 elementary school children participated in the 14th
"Learn and Play" with Milk Cartons Contest 2014.Amongthe many impressive creations, the following seven prizewinning creations were selected through impar tial
examination.Congratulations.

The Grand-Prix Prize was awarded to "This is my Kurihara
Elementary School" by Takeru Kubotani, a sixth grader in
Ibaraki. He has created this work to express his memories
of his six years at school. He worked on this during the lastsummer break.The high quality finish incorporating a
mixture of realistic textures and the clever use of milk
cartons received recognition as a remarkably elaborate
creation, even among the other excellent entries.
The awards ceremony marking the prize-winning creations
was held in the COMCEI booth at "Eco Products 2014" on
December 13. The diplomas, shields and sub-prizes werehanded out to award winners by the Chairman of the
Review Board, Mr. Zeniya (Executive Director of Tokyo
National Museum), Executive COMCEI Chairperson Mr.
Nakamura (Chairman of the Committee), and other review
board members.
The prize-winning creations are introduced on COMCEI’s"Milk Packn's Expedition" website for children.

The Grand-Prix prize was awarded to"This is my Kurihara Elementary School"
Takeru Kubotani≪Prize-winning creations≫◆Grand-Prix Prize "This is my Kurihara Elementary School"
Takeru Kubotani (6th grader, Tsukuba City Kurihara Elementary School)◆Award for Excellence "Cleaner in Deep Sea - Giant Isopod"
Yasuyoshi Kamitani (Third grader at Gifu City Nagara Higashi Elementary School)◆Award for Excellence "Machibika Tong"
Kanau Sakamoto (Second grader at Kawasaki City Mukai Elementary School)

Quizzes on recycling in the tent

Explanation in the environmental panel rally◆Prize of National Primary/Junior High schools
Environment Teachers' Association"Transformation Bag"
Satsuki Kubota (First grader at Kumagaya City Sakuragi Elementary School)

Grand-Prix winner Takeru Kubotani◆JAMRA Prize "Moridako"Taichi Terasak (First grader at the Elementary School attached to Kyoto Women's University)◆COMCEI Prize "Custom-made Chair of My Sister"Atsushi Nanbu (4th grader at Wakuya Cho Wakuya Daiichi Elementary School)◆Japan Dairy Industry Association Prize "Milk Carton Armor"
Yukio Hata (4th grader at Wakayama City Santa Elementary School)
Creation of accessory pouches

10

Activity topics●Eco-Life Fair/Eco Products 2014

At the workshop

Awards ceremony held at Eco Products 2014

Activity topics●"Learn and Play" with Milk Cartons Contest

11Activity topics

Composition analysis of paper cartons/Other activities

We have conducted a composition
analysis of the relevant resources
to learn the current status ofsorted rubbish disposal.

Composition analysis of paper cartons in Matsudo
City]
Many cities advise of rules regarding sorted disposalof paper cartons via leaflets and websites for citizens.
In order to gain an understanding of the current status
of sorted rubbish disposal, COMCEI conducted thecomposition analysis in Matsudo City with the support
from used paper recyclers on July 8. Since COMCEI
had not conducted this type of study for several years,
w e a s ke d t h e Pa p e r Co n t a i n e rs a n d Pa ck i n g
Recycling Promotion Council and other groups toprovide coaching.
According to the sor ted rubbish disposal rules,"paper" must be sorted into the following categories
and be bundled using string. The relevant categories
are corr ugated boxes, newspapers/leaflets,
magazines/books, paper boxes (boxes for sweets,etc.) and milk cartons.We found through our survey
on resources collected from the stations that the
majority of people who collected resources followed
the rules, however, some did not.We carefully sorted
the paper cartons keeping in mind the necessity ofcorrectly disposing of paper cartons.
We reported the findings of the recent composition
analysis in the "Regional conference for promotion of
paper carton recycling in Tokatsu, Chiba."

COMCEI and JAMRA have started tocollaborate with commercial facilities.

[Cooperation with Isetan Matsudo Store]
JAMRA and COMCEI par ticipated in the"Environmental event for parents and children inspring break" by running a workshop. It was held on
March 29 and 30, when cherry blossoms were in fullbloom, at Art Spot Matsudo in the new annex of the
Isetan Matsudo Store.In the two-day event, about 170
p e o p l e p a r t i c i p a te d i n p o s t c a rd m a k i n g u s i n ghandmade paper, and about 130 people took part in
the panel quiz.

The COMCEI website has beenrenewed.

[For further transmission of information on paper
carton recycling]T h e fa m i l i a r C O M C E I we b s i te w i t h i t s ye l l ow
background has been renewed.
Prior to the update, we used an analytical tool tocheck the number of visitors by page, mean viewing
time per page, and referring sources, and reorganized
the hierarchy and grouping of contents accordingly.
The website’s contents are classified into the major
categories of "Principal activities", "Mechanism ofrecycling", "Paper car tons", "Application guide","Announcement", "COMCEI over view", and"Collection of links". Messages regarding paper carton
collection are also featured.
Our new website featuring Milk Packn on a whitebackground has been updated so that it is easier toview.
Please visit our new website.

COMCEI Website: http://www.yokankyo.jp

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Activity topics●Composition analysis of paper cartons/Other activities[Promotion of activities with half-size paper carton
collection box]
In addition to the collection boxes created in 2013, wehave created new collection boxes that are 50%
narrower than theconventional boxes.
Features of the current
boxes, namely a two-partbox body structure andan upper lid for mobility,
have been left
unchanged, while thesize was reconsidered sothat the boxes can beinstalled in small officespaces such as beside acabinet or desk.
Please apply separately
for this collection box to
the Secretariat ofHalf-size paper carton collection box
COMCEI.

Try the panel quiz!

[Renewed “Uchiwa” educational tool]
We have employed a new design for the “Uchiwa”
educational tool.The size is slightly larger than theprevious one with an illustration for coloring on thefront side. Three types of pictures, sea, mountains,and hills, are available.The rear side features milk
car ton collection rules and a description of therecycling flow.It is used in events such as recycling
workshops and Eco-Life Fair.

[Collaboration with "LaLa garden Nagamachi" massmerchandise store]
We held an eco-recycle event on July 26 and 27 in thecommunity-based "LaLa garden Nagamachi" massmerchandise store in Sendai.This was the second
time this event has been held in this city. Many visitors
participated in the quizzes and the handmade paper
making and newly added disassembly of milk cartonslessons.Our leaflet about postcard making using
handmade paper was presented to those who wanted
to make postcards from handmade paper at home.

Renewed COMCEI website

Composition analysis

Newly created half-size collection box
and Uchiwa (paper fan)

Newly created "Uchiwa"

The corner of "Postcard making using handmade paper"

Activity topics●Composition analysis of paper cartons/Other activities13