Asian Continent
Korea
China
Tokyo

Yasunobu Uehara
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
June 26th, 2008

Southeastcountries

Okinawa

Shurijyo CastleOVERVIEW
1) “Mottainai” Seishin (Spirit) / WangariMaathai
2) Solid Waste Management in Japan and U.S.
＊Site Visit: Landfill in Prince WilliamCounty3) Status Quo in Japan and U.S.
4) Comparison between Japan and U.S.
5) Conclusion

Wangari Maathai (Kenya)y Born in Kenya, 1940.
y In 2004 the first African woman toreceive the Nobel Peace Prize for theEnvironmental activism.
y Advocate the idea of Mottainai topromote sustainable development.

“Mottainai” Seishin (Spirit)y Mottainai = What a waste!

in English.
y Mottainai Seishin is Japanese

Spirit or Virtue to care foreverything from the heart.

Solid Waste Management in Japan
1) Under the national law, local governments collectand properly dispose of solid waste.
2) The national government supports local
governments with technical and financial
assistance when necessary.
3) Japan strongly promotes 3R movement (Reduce,Reuse and Recycle) for sustainable society.

Why do we need 3R?

Why do we need 3R?

1) To use limited resources effectively.

2) To decrease the amount of waste.

Example: The Number of years remaining before
we deplete the earth’s natural resources.

Example: How many baseball stadiums (TokyoDomes) are full with household waste peryear in Japan?

The answer is about 136 baseball stadiums.

1. Reduce the amount of waste

2. Reuse materials again and again

y How can we reduce the amount of waste?

y How can we reuse materials?

Example: Use your own bags instead of plasticbags when you go shopping.

Example: Use “My Hashi” (chopsticks) evenin restaurants instead of disposable ones.

In Japan we use 300 plastic bags/person in a year.
If we can reduce this number, we can save 1,200
25meter pools of crude oil(=420,000kg liters) in ayear.

3. Recycle:
Process used materials into new materials

Solid Waste Management in the U.S.

y How can we recycle?

1) Each states enacts laws and guidelines

There is an easy rule for recycling: separate waste
properly. But is it worth recycling? Yes!
1 ton of Minerals
1 ton of Used Cellular

3~5 g of Gold400 g of GoldWe can produce about 100 times more gold
from used cellular than from raw minerals.

concerning solid waste management.
2) The responsibility of waste management isleft up to counties or municipalities.
3) Generally private corporations properly
collect and dispose of solid waste.

Site Visit:
Landfill in Prince William County

Interesting Points of This Landfill

y Population of PWC: 380,000,
Area: 350 sq mi1) Convenience center for dropping
off trash and recyclables. “Thetoo good to waste place.”y Located in Manassas, VA

2) Residents can bring most waste
at no charge but they do pay a“Solid Waste Fee”.

y Size: 800 Acres With 250 Acres ofbuffer
y Processed 367,000 tons last year
or 1,020 tons each day★Each county has huge powers toimplement solid waste
management.

.Status Quo in Both Countries

y Japan in 2006

So far, I have discussed solid waste
managements in Japan and the U.S.

y The U.S. in 2006

Total: 52.7 million tons Total: 251 million tons
A Person: 2.8kg/day
A Person: 1.1 kg /day

And the consequences are…..

In Million Tons

Comparison between Japan and the U.S.
1) The U.S. exhausts about 5 times as much solid
waste as Japan. About 2.5 times per person.
2) In Japan 70% (35 mil tons) ⇒ Incinerators
In U.S 55% (137 mil tons) ⇒ Landfills

Conclusion:
What can we learn from each other?
The U.S.

1) Mottainai Spirit
2) 3R Movement

Ariake Incinerator in Tokyo

Chubou Landfill in TokyoJapan

1) More governmental
control at the local level2) Affirmation of Japan’sinnovativeenvironmental policies

Sources

Implications
y Examining solid waste issues forces
us to preserve our environment.
Ocean View in Okinawa

y To maintain the health of mothernature is our duty.
y Will the 2012 post Kyoto Protocol
include new participants? Newinnovations?

Conference of Parties Ⅲ inKyoto, 1997

Consciousness Survey
about Waste Management in D.C
y Do you care about the Environment?
If so, what do you care about the most?
y What do you do to help theEnvironment?
y Do you know where your trash goes?

・ Environmental Protection Agency(http://www.epa.gov/)
・ Ministry of the Environment, Japan(http://www.env.go.jp/en/)・ Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade(http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/recycle/)・ Mainichi-Shinbun Newspaper
・ Biocycle Magazine for Environment
・ Council of local Authorities for International
Relations (CLAIR) Report