# Section 4: Development of 3R and Waste Management Facilities and International Contributions in the Future

The previous sections examined the various technologies for forming a SMS and the policies that accelerated their development and introduction. This section will give an overview of research and development for improving 3R and waste management technology, and the state of technology development. It will also describe international contributions on the basis of Japan’s excellent 3R and waste management technologies, as well as Japan’s role in using these technologies as a summary of this document.

### 1. Research and Development for Improving 3R and Waste Management Technology

In the “Promotion Strategies by Field”, which were decided in the Council for Science and Technology Policy in March 2006 under the Third Science and Technology Basic Plan, which was decided by the Cabinet in March 2006, the area of 3R technology research was selected as a high-priority research area in the next five years in the environment field. This is a research area to achieve the “effective utilization of resources and reduction of waste using 3R or resource-saving alternative technologies”, which is one of the individual policy objectives in the environment field. By promoting such research, the strategy aims to ensure the effective and circulating use of resources and proper waste management in a way that meets people’s demands for security and safety using new substance control methods. As specific research and development issues, three programs are listed: “technology for the design, evaluation and support of systems for resource-recycling production and consumption”, “technology to manage the usability and hazardousness of recycling resources”, and “technology for recycling and proper treatment or disposal of waste”. For each program, priority issues for research and development were established.

Further, the Central Environment Council compiled a report on "Promotion Strategies for Environmental Research and Environmental Technology Development" in March 2006, and the "area of building a sound material-cycle society" was established as a focus area for research and technology development also in this report. The focus issues listed include "research on systems for the proper management of waste in the Asian region on the basis of 3R technology and the social system", "research on economic techniques and other policies and techniques to promote reform towards a sound material-cycle society", "sophistication and practical application of recycling technologies and systems related to recycled resources", "research on the standardization of recycled articles and regenerated products" and "research and technology for the proper management and utilization of old final landfill sites".

Various research and technology development is being conducted in line with this direction. The subsidies for scientific research on waste management, etc. are used to promote research projects on establishing the SMS and solving various problems involving waste, technology development projects, and others. The following three projects use these subsidies: the “research project on waste management measures”, the “project to develop the technical foundation for next-generation waste management technology” and the “project to promote research on waste measures.” In particular, a special budget for 3R incentives was created in fiscal 2006 in the subsidies for scientific research on waste management, etc., targeting research and technology development related to international 3R. These research projects use the top-down method and have the theme “constructing a system for international recycling of resources and proper waste management optimized for the environment of the Asian region”. The research conducted during the three-year research term is shown in Table 4-1.

Further, the “Strategic Technology Roadmap 2007”, established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in April 2007, lists 3R as one of the points in the environmental and energy field, and for 3R-related technology for reducing waste disposed of in final landfill sites and for effectively using resources, the roadmap sets policy objectives to be achieved by fiscal 2010 and a technology strategy roadmap for the next 30 years. Specifically, the following items were selected as key issues: “reduction of waste disposed of in final landfill sites”, “construction stock (construction waste)”, “3R for metal resources” and “3R eco-design and regeneration production technology”. The technologies necessary to solve these issues are detailed in the roadmap. Further, several relevant policies for technology development and practical application as technology development strategies were bundled in a package as the “3R program” for a systematic approach to research and development as well as technologies for practical application contributing to the promotion of 3R. The policies in the package are mainly in the technology development fields listed in the “Technology Strategy Map” that the state should get involved in. Specific efforts in fiscal 2006 included, for example, the