Figure 4-2-3 Japan’s Experience in the Fields of Waste and Recycling

Period of time	Social trends	State of municipal solid waste	State of industrial waste	Waste characteristics and collection	Treatment/disposal and technologies	Laws and institutions
Improvement of public sanitation and the beginning of a “waste problem” (around 1955)	“Mottaina” still prevalent mentality in society (unintentional 3Rs)	Volume of waste generated (10,000 tons)	Volume of waste generated (1 million tons)	Kitchen waste makes up the majority. Mechanisms such as resource collection activities since before World War II are still continuing. Horse-drawn carts, rickshaws, small tricycles, etc. were used for collection.	Mainly self-disposal and treatment Shift from mainly burial disposal at the beginning to incineration, due to lack of landfill sites	Waste Cleaning Law
A “waste problem” become apparent along with high economic growth (around 1955 - 1973)	There were improvements in quality of life and consumption levels, but due to the loss of domestic stock it took time to resolve a shortage of goods.	Volume of waste generated, Volume generated per person per day	Volume of waste generated, Volume generated per person per day	Number of remaining years (years)	Increase in paper waste. Collapse of resource-use habits from before World War II. Beginning of introduction of garbage trucks. Mixed collection. Poly-containers for each house. 2-4 times increase in volume of waste in large cities	Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law
Shift to a period of stable growth - energy crisis - eve of the bubble economy (around 1973 - 1985)	“Treat things with care” “The Limits on Growth” (Club of Rome) Decentralization of population and industry Heightened added value of products, shift to service industries Promotion of resource and energy conservation Expansion of one-way containers used	Increase in paper and plastic waste. One-way bottles and cans. Collection of plastic bags or paper bags	Increase in paper and plastic waste. One-way bottles and cans. Collection of plastic bags or paper bags	Increase in paper and plastic waste. One-way bottles and cans. Collection of plastic bags or paper bags	Increase of incineration facilities. Continued lack of final landfill sites. Large continuous automatic furnaces. Fluid-bed furnaces
Arrival and end of the bubble economy - large increase in waste volume (around 1985 - 1990)	Overconcentration in Tokyo Resort Law Beginning of widespread use of OA instruments Increase in volume of distribution. Increase in disposable products. Arrival of plastic bottles	Waste problems become apparent (opportunity for full-fledged efforts for the 3Rs) Diversification of waste characteristics Increased sorting and collection of resources. Large increase in waste volume (2% a year)	Waste problems become apparent (opportunity for full-fledged efforts for the 3Rs) Diversification of waste characteristics Increased sorting and collection of resources. Large increase in waste volume (2% a year)	Waste problems become apparent (opportunity for full-fledged efforts for the 3Rs) Diversification of waste characteristics Increased sorting and collection of resources. Large increase in waste volume (2% a year)	Waste problems become apparent (opportunity for full-fledged efforts for the 3Rs) Diversification of waste characteristics Increased sorting and collection of resources. Large increase in waste volume (2% a year)	Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources Basic Environment Law Containers and Packaging Recycling Law Home Appliance. Recycling Law Law concerning Special Measures against Dioxins
Beginning of 3Rs -Preparation of laws related to the material cycle (around 1990 -2000)	“The lost decade” The Earth’s environmental problems become apparent, and citizens’ activities increase. Attention grew on illegal disposal of industrial waste, as a result of the Teshima Case. Dioxin problem. Increase in use of computers, paper for OA, and plastic bottles. Fujimae Tide Flat Case	Waste reduction. Promotion of recycling. Development of sorted waste collection. Waste paper recovery. Increase in volume of plastic bottles. Development of charges for waste (designated bags or charges for bags). Ingenuity for accumulation. Places (setting of netted baskets or container facilities)	Waste reduction. Promotion of recycling. Development of sorted waste collection. Waste paper recovery. Increase in volume of plastic bottles. Development of charges for waste (designated bags or charges for bags). Ingenuity for accumulation. Places (setting of netted baskets or container facilities)	Waste paper recovery. Increase in volume of plastic bottles. Development of charges for waste (designated bags or charges for bags). Ingenuity for accumulation. Places (setting of netted baskets or container facilities)	Waste for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources Basic Environment Law Containers and Packaging Recycling Law Home Appliance. Recycling Law Law concerning Special Measures against Dioxins
Comprehensive efforts for the 3Rs (around 2000 - 2010)	Temporarily strong economy due to IT bubble. Era of deflation. Change from disposal of waste to the 3Rs. Widespread use of cellular phones and the Internet. Expansion of mail-order shopping	Total population, final disposal volume	Number of years remaining	Era of multiple sorting. Volume of solid waste remains high. Increase of reuse due to the prosperity of recycle shops and auctions. Overseas exports of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)	Recycling of food waste. Facilities to ferment methane. Shredder dust disposal. Treatment of disposed home appliances. Treatment to make asbestos nonhazardous. PCB treatment and decomposition	Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society Construction Material Recycling Act Food Recycling Law Law concerning the Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law

Source: Ministry of the Environment