## B Effort indices

When establishing a SMC Society, it is essential that not only the government but also all the entities concerned play their respective parts. Unlike the material flow indicators, which are designed to measure the entire country's progress in creating a SMC Society, the effort indices deal with measures taken by the entities concerned in order to establish a SMC Society. These indices are used to set targets for the activities of these parties and to help expedite their activities. By making it possible to carry out quantitative assessment and evaluation, these indices also help achieve a SMC Society.

The effort indices need to be flexibly modified and expanded in accordance with the results of annual reviews and analyses, in order to ensure that activities carried out by individual entities contribute to steady progress, overall. Given the possibility that new and more ambitious indices may be developed at the local and regional level, these effort indices are also expected to serve as a reference point when setting regional targets.

(An excerpt from “Effort indices” in Chapter 2, Section 2 of the Second Fundamental Plan)

1 Indicators for target setting

(1) Reduction of waste

a. Reduction of municipal solid waste

(a) The target for both the public and enterprises is a reduction of approximately 10% from the FY 2000 level in the effort index of per capita daily waste generation (calculated from the amount of municipal solid waste as the sum of the wastes collected through scheduled collection and group collection and the wastes carried in).

The target set by the First Fundamental Plan concerning both per capita daily residential waste generation and per capita daily commercial waste generation was a reduction of approximately 20% from the FY 2000 levels. This was a target that could be achieved by reducing waste generation and fostering cooperation on sorting and resource collection.

In addition to the indices used to evaluate cooperation on sorting and other efforts directed towards resource recovery, which followed on from the previous plan, the Second Fundamental Plan also defined targets directly concerning the reduction of waste generation. These indices are related to the “Reduce” component of the 3Rs, and the restriction of waste generation. It is hoped that efforts to “Reduce” (the most important factor in establishing a SMC Society) will be enhanced, as a result.

(An excerpt from “Effort indices” in Chapter 2, Section 2 of the Second Fundamental Plan)

2 Indicators used to monitor changes

(2) Rate of refusal of free plastic shopping bags (rate of shoppers bringing their own shopping bags); volume of sales of disposable products (imported disposable wooden chopsticks)

As indices of the public’s efforts to reduce waste, the government will monitor the rate of refusal of free plastic shopping bags (rate of shoppers bringing their own shopping bags) and the volume of sales of disposable products (imported disposable wooden chopsticks).

As indices of the public’s efforts to reduce waste, the government will measure the rate of refusal of free plastic shopping bags (rate of shoppers bringing their own shopping bags) and the volume of sales of disposable products (imported disposable wooden chopsticks).

It is essential that the government assesses and examines certain factors in detail for each type of product used by people in their everyday lives. This includes reductions in usage, the amount reused, and environmental burdens throughout the life cycle of a product (life cycle assessment (LCA)), from resource extraction through to disposal.

(An excerpt from “Effort indices” in Chapter 3, Section 2 of the Second Fundamental Plan)

2 Indicators to monitor changes

(6) Percentage of local governments charging for garbage collection; municipalities most active in promoting waste reduction

As indices of local governments’ efforts to reduce waste, the government will monitor the percentage of local governments charging for garbage collection and identify those municipalities which are most active in promoting waste reduction.

As indices of local governments’ efforts to reduce waste, the government will measure the percentage of local governments charging for garbage collection and identify those municipalities which are most active in promoting waste reduction.

Since local governments play a key role in establishing a SMC Society, the government will use a broad range of indices to monitor changes and keep track of their activities. This will include those municipalities which are most active in promoting recycling, and the number of recycling centers and other resource recovery facilities.