Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

JESC NEWSNo. 22June 2022

I. Report of JESC's Activities

JESC further contributes to evolving Sino-Japanese Environmental
Cooperation

In June 2018, JESC signed an agreementwith the Sino-Japan Friendship Center for
Environmental Protection (hereinafterreferred to as “the Center”) on enhancing
cooperation activities in the environmental
sector.
The Center was established in 1996 basedon the agreement made by the Prime
Ministers of both countries and has playeda central role in the environmental
cooperation between China and Japan,
including human resource development in
the field of environmental observation andanalysis.
As
Japan’s
Official
Development
Assistance (ODA) to China was terminatedat the end of 2021, it has been agreed thatthe two countries will develop newenvironmental
cooperationasequal
partners.
Under these circumstances, in 2021, JESC
started to support the China Ecological andEnvironmental Technology Transformation
Platform (CEETT) that was established at
the Center in 2019.
CEETT is a platform that provides
environmental technology information in
response to the needs of Chinese local
government and companies. It publishes
more than 4,700 registered environmental
technologies in China that are evaluated bythird parties such as universities andresearch institutes. More than 2.5 million
accesses have already been made.

JESC is developing content to be posted on
the CEETT website, including material on
Japanesecompanies’
technology
information, Japan’s environmental policy
and environmental technical cooperation
between the two countries.
Furthermore, in March 2022, JESC,
together with the Center, held a webinar to
introduce the website and its contents to
Chinese companies.
JESC hopes that technology exchanges
and collaborative businesses conducted
between Chinese and Japanese companies
will be promoted through the CEETT
website.
Support for CEETT is only part of JESC’scontribution
toSino-Japaneseenvironmental cooperation.
Mr. Hideki Minamikawa, the President of
JESC, has been a member of the China
Council for International Cooperation on
Environment and Development (CCICED)
since 2017.
In addition, since 2015, JESC has beenpromotingjoint
researchanddemonstration projects in China for air
pollution control through the co-benefits ofenvironmental pollution control andreduction of greenhouse gas emission.
Furthermore,
JESC
ispromotingenvironmental
improvement
throughbusiness matching by introducing the VOC
reductiontechnologyofJapanesecompanies to Chinese companies.

Air pollution
with PM2.5
and dueotherin China
Air pollution
in China
toparticles
PM 2.5 etc.

Chinese delegation's visit to a Japanese plant
equipped with VOC reduction technology

Comments from Person in Charge (PIC)The Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection is asymbol of environmental cooperation between Japan and China. It is agreat honor for JESC to continue and further strengthen cooperation with
the Center even after the termination of Japan's ODA to China.
(Katsuyoshi SUDO)

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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

Data Collection Survey on Municipal Solid Waste Management,
and Sewerage and Fecal Sludge Management in African Cities

JESC formed a joint venture with
Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd. andimplemented Data Collection Surveyson
Municipal
Solid
Waste
Management(SWM),
Urban
Sanitation, and Sewerage and Fecal
Sludge Management in Africa fromFebruary 2021 to March 2022,
commissioned by JICA.
In the SWM survey, the JICA Study
Team (hereinafter referred to as theJST) conducted an investigation into
the current situation regarding
municipal solid waste management in
African cities with the aim ofunderstanding 1) priority issues,
supportrequirements
andpossibilities for collaboration among
cities, and 2) the feasibility of
waste-to-energy projects.
Furthermore, it aimed to suggest
cooperation policies through the“African
Clean Cities Platform(ACCP),” based on the results of thesurvey.
The JST implemented a field survey
in Cote d’Ivoire, Angola and Uganda,
and implemented a remote survey
utilizing local partners and a web
meeting system for South Africa,
Botswana, Ethiopia, and Guinea, etc.
Through this survey, JST found many
issues, mainly regarding collection,transportation and final disposal ofwaste in African cities. In addition,some African countries includingSouth
Africaareproactively
considering the introduction ofadvanced
technology
suchas
waste-to-energy.
However, the purpose of the Urban

Sanitation survey is to collect basic
information on the current situation
regarding sewerage and managementof sludge generated in on-site
sanitation facilities, and identify
issues in order to strengthen JICA’s
cooperationonsanitationin
Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to aliterature review, the JV also
conducted field surveys in Rwanda
and Mozambique.
Studies show that it is extremely
difficult to install sewers in the slums
where most of the population lives in
the large cities, so there is no option
but to rely on on-site sanitation
facilities such as pit latrines andseptic tanks. It is necessary to haveservices to collect the sludge fromthese, and properly transport anddispose of it, but it was found that
adequate services are barely provided
due to difficulty of access and lack of
the ability of the residents to pay.
In order to align with the current
global trend of “Citywide Inclusive
Sanitation (CWIS),” it is of the utmost
importance
for
Fecal
SludgeManagement
(FSM)
to
be
strengthened in parallel for the
low-income
population
that
constitutes the overwhelming majority.

In Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, sludge collectedfrom on-site sanitation facilities is open dumped
in an untreated state.

Comments from PIC

Though it was a very serious issue for us how to implement a survey in Africa
under the travel restrictions imposed due to COVID-19, we finally succeeded inreaching our goal by utilizing local partners and a web meeting system. We hopethat the results of this survey will lead to support in the field of solid waste
management in African cities. In particular, we should pay attention to the trend
towards waste-to-energy, in which Japanese private companies have advanced(Makoto YAMAMOTO)
capabilities.

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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

Online Study Program on Waste Management by MOEJ

JESC conducted the “Online Study
Program on Waste Management” in FY
2021. This program was organized by
the Ministry of the Environment Japan(MOEJ), and JESC conducted it as theimplementing organization.
As shown in the title, in the current
fiscal year, all courses in the program
were conducted online, as was the casein the previous fiscal year.
In total, 114 participants from 17
countries including Asia, Africa, theMiddle East, and Pacific Island regions
participated in the 11 courses of the
program.
The program was conducted as live
sessionsinthelanguagesofparticipating countries, not only inEnglish.
At online site visits to facilities, suchas a recycling facility, WtE facility, eco
town, and final disposal site, live
videos and DVDs, etc., were relayed
from the facility, and a QA Session was

conducted with the PIC of the facility.
Although the participants could not
visit the facilities on-site, they
participated very actively in the online
sessions.
In addition, a new program
workshop was conducted this FY withrelatedlocal
governments
andJapanese plant manufacturers. This
has allowed creation of a favorable
network for future cooperation.
Participants commented that the
program was a good opportunity tolearn about waste management inJapan and gain more knowledge, andthat it would be useful in our ongoingcollaboration.
We are also going to conduct thisstudy program in the current fiscal
year (FY 2022) in order to continue
good relations and networking in thewaste management and recycling
industry!

Participants in Vietnam Program through Online

Online program connected with MozambiqueComments from PIC
This fiscal year, the study program is in its 12th year. Although wehave not been able to conduct the program face to face due to theongoing COVID-19 situation, many people participated online andexperienced the new style of study program. We are going to conduct
this updated and fruitful study program in the current fiscal year, too!
(Kana NAKAMURA)
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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program conducted by JESC in FY2021
In FY2021, JESC conducted four JICA

actually visiting Japan.

programs:

We received the following comments“Basics

of

Solid

Waste

Management (A)” (14 participants fromfrom participants.

6 countries), “Enhancement of Solid

Waste Management Capacity for Waste
Power Generation” (15 participantsfrom 7 countries), “Strategic Utilizationof Solid Waste Management Data” (6participants from 5 countries) and

“Capacity Building towards Air Quality
Management” (8 participants from 6
countries).
These training programs had been
conducted in-person in Japan up till FY2019, but we have switched them online
since FY 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
In order to maximize the effectivenessof the online program, we prepared it

It was very interesting to share thegood practices of other countries,
and it was also a good opportunity
to learn that they are facing thesame challenges, and that there aredifferent ways to deal with them.
(Ecuador)
I found that online training was not
sufficient for learning more aboutsolid waste management, especially
the WtE facility which is not wellknowninSoutheast
Asia.
(Malaysia)
All the topics were useful, such as
the experts’ and other participants’comments on the action plan. I lookforward to future cooperation.
(Moldova)

for online use by changing the training
style and subjects.
The most difficult part was hands-on
training, which we tried to make asinteractive as possible. For the onsite
visit program, we set up a Q&A session
at the end of the program. Even so, we

Participants from all over the world connected

realized that it would be difficult to getthrough online training

better results than those obtained byComments from PIC
The participants took part in an earnest manner despite
being busy with their daily work. We are grateful for
their enthusiasm for the programs, and are motivated toprovide even better training programs based on theseexperiences.

We

look

forwardtowelcomingtheparticipants in Japan again in the near future!
(Takashi MIYAGAWA/Masako MORINO)
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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

Introduction to the Sanitation Improvement Project in Varanasi city, India

Varanasi

Varanasi

JESC has been providing technicalcity, locatedassistance to strengthen the city’sinseptage management since 2020 and istheGangesintheprocessofconducting

river basin

decentralized on-site water treatment

in northern

facility survey and demonstration test

India, is aof a pilot plant in order to improve

medium-sized city of 1.2 million people,

decentralized

known as a sacred place for Hindu

facilities. There are a wide variety ofpilgrims.

stakeholders, including the state andAlthough around 50% of the city’scity governments, private sector, andurban area is served by a sewerage

NGOs, and it is important for thesystem, the surrounding areas that dogovernment to take the lead.

not have a sewerage system still rely on

In implementing the project, it isindividual

hoped that sludge management will beordecentralized

on-sitetreatmentwater treatment facilities (septic tanks)

carriedfor human waste treatment. Because ofcooperation with the government, andimproper management, the septagethat the project will contribute to thegenerated

purification of the Ganges river.

from

these

facilities

is

out

sewageaindependentlyincausing pollution of the Ganges river.

Cattle roaming in a domestic drainage channel

Visitors on the banks of the Ganges river

Comments from PIC
Varanasi is Prime Minister Modi’s electoral district, and all
stakeholder’s have strong enthusiasm for purification of the Ganges
river. I would like to cooperate with them so that water quality
suitable for bathing in this holy place is achieved as soon as possible.
(Akira MORITA)

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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

EU Taxonomy & Future Waste Treatment System
The EU is discussing EU taxonomy for the

We also conducted an interview with thecertificationof

eco-friendly

economic

Confederation of European WtE Plants

activities.

JESC

considered

that

the

(CEWEP), an association of operators ofevaluation of waste treatment systems in thisWtE facilities in Europe, regarding the statustaxonomy would govern the future trends forof the EU taxonomy study and their opinions

waste treatment, and launched a study groupon the evaluation of WtE facilities.

in March 2023.

According to the latest information from

The taxonomy establishes six environmental

CEWEP,

objectives ((1) climate change mitigation, (2)considering a “traffic light taxonomy,” underclimate change adaptation, (3) sustainable

which activities would either be sustainable

use and protection of water and marine“green,” potentially sustainable and notresources, (4) transition to a circular economy,

harmful “yellow,” or potentially sustainable(5) pollution prevention and control, and (6)but harmful “red.” There are no clear criteria

protection and restoration of biodiversity andfor WtE facilities, but CEWEP shared theirecosystems). It marks activities as green if

idea that the facilities which meet the EUthey contribute to at least one of these six

energy recovery standard could be “yellow,”environmental objectives, while “doing noand facilities which have further outputs

significant harm” to any of the others.

(CCU/CCS, and H2 and bottom ash recovery

Although WtE facilities are currently underfacilities) could be “Green.” The EU

assessment, they contribute to objective (4),taxonomy is at the stage of formulation, so

and introduction of a high-efficiency energy

we will follow any updates relating to waste

recovery facility and CCU/CCS would be antreatment

important point for evaluation.

information.

Study group

the

and

EuropeanreleaseCommission

the

is

relevant

Meeting with CEWEP

Comment from PIC
The EU taxonomy has been created to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and I
believe that such environmental finance methods will become indispensable torealizing a decarbonized society and circular economy. However, it is difficult tojudge whether investment criteria are eco-friendly, and vital to consider the
benefits of this judgment to the whole of society. We will keep a close eye on how
these investment criteria affect the formulation of an eco-friendly society.
(Mitsuyo SUGIMOTO)
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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

II. Contribution from Participants in JESC's Activities
Efforts in Reducing Household Waste Delivered to Landfill
in Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia

Tangerang Selatan is a city with morethan 1,3 million inhabitants. Solid
waste generated in the city is over 900
tonnes per day and most of it is put in alandfill (TPA Cipeucang) whose
capacity is predicted to be exceededsoon. The city is making an effort for
using certain technology to be put in
waste handling in the landfill to makeit
moreefficient,
suchas
Waste-to-Energy implementation since
it is one of the cities stipulated bycentral government in implementing
WtE. On the other side, reducing theamount of the waste generated anddelivered to the site is still crucial.
To reduce the waste, proper waste
handling, especially sorting, is needed.
Some initiatives have been taken by
the city government such as setting up
waste
banks
and
intermediate
facilities. Below is the generalschematic diagram of waste handlingin South Tangerang.

Weighing day of a Waste BankRed lines: mixed waste, Blue lines: inorganic waste,
Green lines: organic waste

Inorganic waste. Valuable inorganic
waste (cardboard, plastic, glass, metal,etc.) from households is put into a
waste bank who sells it to Lapak. A
Waste bank is a community-based
institution where people can exchange
waste for money and deposit it to theiraccounts. Lapak is a small business
who
buys
waste
from
trash
pickers/scavengers. Lapak sells thewaste to collectors who then sell it tofactories, who will turn it into morevaluable forms such as plastic pellets
and sells it to other factories/industries.
Organic waste. There are threealternatives for organic waste handling:
1)
Households
composting;2)
Community-levelcompostingatIntermediate Treatment Facility (ITF)orcommunity-based
3R
waste
treatment sites (TPS3R). A TPS3R is
managed by a non-governmentalorganization, while an ITF by the city
government. There is one TPS3R
having a kind of simple small biogas
installation;
3)
Organic
waste

processing using black soldier fly larvae
at household and small community
levels. The compost produced could be
used by households for gardening,
farmers or other users. The biogas
produced is used by households forcooking. The maggot produced could be
used as fertilizer or livestock feed.
Mixed waste. Waste from households istransported to ITF/TPS3R, or directly
to landfill. Residual waste from ITF or
TPS3R is also put into the landfill.
Illegal dumping is still a problem.
The mixed waste track to the landfill isthemostcommonsincetheintermediate facilities are not always
available in the neighborhood and mostinhabitants do not sort their waste.
Another cause is the connections
between the actors on inorganic andorganic tracks are not well establishedwhich can damage their sustainability.
Therefore, more efforts to provide
facilities, to raise awareness, and tocreate or to smoothen connections
between the links/actors are crucial
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Japan Environmental Sanitation Center (JESC)

No.22

Comments from PIC
In February this year, I had a chance to take part in Online Study
Program on Waste Management organized by the Ministry of theEnvironment of Japan and JESC as the implementing partner. It
was an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge on waste
management in Japan shared by government officials and resource
persons from JESC. I found this JESC news to be a good medium forfurther knowledge exchange.
(Siti Irma SURYANI)

III. Editorial Note
This Newsletter was created with a focus on the international activities
conducted by JESC. Ms. Sugimoto’s article on taxonomy in the EU
introduces innovative economic methods for creating a sustainable society.
Huge quantities of investment money travel around the world, and, forbetter or worse. investment is concentrated in places where profits are made.
The movement of financial speculation is causing the market to fluctuatesignificantly. Japan issues a huge amount of government bonds, which the
Bank of Japan buys to finance the national budget. That total debt is now
huge.
In Japan, the significance of this issuing of operational money is underdiscussion. Opinions are divided, with some claiming that Japan will gobankrupt soon, and others saying that this is a wonderful example ofsuccessful investment in society. I do not know which opinion is correct, but I
do not want to simply pass on the problem to future generations.
(Hideaki FUJIYOSHI)

JESC NEWS No.22/June 2022
・Address: 10-6 Yotsuyakami-cho,・Publisher: Hideki MINAMIKAWA
・Editor: Hideaki FUJIYOSHI

Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-city,

・Staff: SUDO, MIYAGAWA, MORITA,

210-0828 JAPANYAMAMOTO, NAKAMURA,

・TEL: +81-44-288-4937

SUGIMOTO, MORINO

・FAX: +81-44-288-5217
・E-mail: kokusai@jesc.or.jp

・Published by: Japan Environmental
Sanitation Center (JESC)

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