Note 1: Waste that may be harmful to human health and the living environment or is explosive, toxic, or infectious Note 2: Cinders, sludge, waste oil, waste alkali, waste plastics, waste paper, waste wood, waste fiber, animal offal and plant waste, solid animal waste, waste rubber, scrap metal, waste glass, waste concrete and ceramic, slag, debris, animal excreta, carcasses, soot and dust, any other items that are processed to dispose of the above 19 types of industrial waste, and imported waste

ants are not covered by the law, and are exempted from the terms of the law.

Wastes are divided into two broad classification; municipal wastes and industrial wastes. Industrial wastes refer to the twenty legally specified types of wastes derived from business activities and wastes imported from abroad.

Municipal wastes refers to wastes other than industrial wastes and consist mainly of night soil and domestic refuse or garbage, including business type wastes generated from offices and restaurants. (Figure 2-11).

### B. Status of municipal wastes (garbage)

The amount of total emission of wastes* $ ^{*} $ 1 in fiscal 2008 was 48.11 million tons (decreased by 5.3% compared to the previous fiscal year), or 1,033 grams daily per person (decreased by 5.1% compared to the previous fiscal year).

*1 “Amount of total emission of wastes” = “Amount of collected wastes + amount of carried in wastes + amount of collected wastes by groups”

When considering the proportion of wastes generated by daily life-related wastes and business-related wastes, the former accounts for 34.10 million tons (about 70%) and the latter for 14 million tons (about 30%) (Figure 2-12).

Wastes can also be divided into three broad categories; wastes recycled to resources directly or by intermediate processing, wastes whose volumes are reduced by incineration or other methods, and wastes directly landfilled with no processing (Figure 2-13).

Wastes subject to any intermediate processing account for 41.97 million tons, about 87% of the total amount of disposed wastes. Intermediate processing facilities include, incineration facilities, recycling facilities, high-speed composting facilities, animal feed manufacturing facilities and methane recovery facilities. Out of the wastes brought into intermediate processing facilities, 4.51 million tons of wastes are reclaimed after processing, and when added to wastes directly recycled and collected by groups, the total amount of recycled wastes accounts for 9.78 million tons. The recycling ratio compared to the total of processed wastes increased from 5.3% in fiscal 1990 to 20.3% in fiscal 2008. With regard to the amount of intermediate processing, wastes directly incinerated account for 35.74 million tons (a direct incineration ratio of 79.2% of the whole of processing), and the reduced amount of wastes in intermediate processing, mainly by incineration, accounts for 32.76 million tons (equivalent to 75.6% of all processing). Recently incineration facilities have added electric power generators and heat supply facilities and the efficient use of heat is increasing in many places.

Meanwhile, the total amount of the wastes directly disposed of, incineration waste (such as soot and incinerated ash) and disposal waste from intermediate processing facilities equals the amount sent for landfill in final disposal sites. The amount of the wastes directly disposed of is almost 0.82 million tons, which equals 1.7% of the amount of total emissions. When the incineration and disposal waste are included, the total amount of final disposal is 5.53 million tons, and the amount of all categories is decreasing year on year.