and prefectural governments formed PCB waste disposal funds to reduce the financial burdens associated with disposal by small- and medium-sized enterprises. Through the use of these measures, Japan is striving to fundamentally eliminate the negative legacy posed by PCBs.

### B. Introduction of recycling laws

As shown above, the government set out specific policies to address increasingly complex and serious waste disposal problems. However, the government also realized that it needed to address the situation in which a significant proportion of the ever-increasing amount of recyclable resources was being disposed of without being recycled. To meet this need, the Law for the Promotion of Utilization of Recycled Resources was enacted in 1991 to oblige manufacturers to promote the effective utilization of recyclable resources. On the other hand, municipal governments, especially big city governments, found it more and more difficult to secure sufficient final and other disposal facilities for solid waste, leading to the problem of "reverse-charging," or paying fees in order to hand over certain wastes (as in the glass bottle recycling system, for example, which had previously worked well). This raised the need for further recycling of containers and packaging, which accounted for a large part of all municipal solid waste. To meet this need, the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law was enacted in 1995. This law mandated manufacturers to engage in recycling activities and obliged municipal governments to introduce well-planned efforts to foster sorted collection. This law, which can be regarded as an example of early adoption of the concept now known as extended producer responsibility, has helped the development of full-fledged recycling systems by involving more members of the general public and attracting greater public attention.

In 1998, the Home Appliance Recycling Law was introduced, requiring home appliances to be disposed of by manufacturers, mainly by means of recycling. In 2000, the government also enacted the Construction Waste Recycling Law which obliges demolition companies that carry out demolition projects larger than the specified criteria to sort and recycle construction waste, and the Food Waste Recycling Law, which requires restaurant and distribution businesses to recycle food waste. To further enhance the legal framework for recycling, the End-of-life Vehicle Recycling Law was established in 2002, obliging automakers to collect and recycle shredder residues from end-of-life vehicles.

### C. The first year of the establishment of a SMC Society

Based on experience gained over the years, the government designated 2000 as the first year of the establishment of a SMC because this was the year when the Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society (hereinafter referred to as “the Fundamental Law”), the Waste Management Law, the Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilities of Resources and a number of recycling laws were enacted or revised. This year, Japan took a large step toward establishing a SMC Society.

The Fundamental Law defines a SMC Society as one in which the consumption of natural resources is curbed and the burden on the environment is minimized, by means of :

1) Preventing products from becoming waste;