Figure 3-3 Changes to implementation rate of charging waste treatment fees by municipalities

Note: Implementation rate of charging waste treatment fees by municipalities is the rate of local governments that have implemented charging fees for domestic waste treatment (excluding waste directly brought in and bulky waste); in recent years the rate is steadily increasing apart from fiscal year 2004, in which the rate appears to decrease due to the merger of municipalities.

Note: The 23 wards of Tokyo were counted as one city.

Source: Ministry of the Environment

sound material-cycle society.

Accordingly, the ministry revised its basic policy formulated according to the provision of Paragraph (1), Article 5-2 of the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law in May 2005.

The basic policy laid out tasks for municipalities to achieve for the optimization of municipal waste treatment systems for the establishment of a sound material-cycle society, the following three points are now clearly described (Figure 3-3).

1) To analyze and provide costing information needed for projects related to municipal waste treatment, examine the analysis results from various angles, and utilize PFI as necessary, so that the projects becomes socioeconomically efficient

2) To further charge a fee for municipal waste treatment in order to promote the generation control and recycling of municipal waste with economic incentives used to share costs fairly according to the amount of generated waste, and to raise the awareness of citizens

3) To clearly explain to citizens and business operators the necessity and environmental load and economy-related advantages when the current municipal waste treatment system categories for sorted collection of wastes, waste treatment methods, etc. are changed or when a new system is introduced

According to the statements shown above, in June 2007, the Ministry of the Environment created “Municipal waste Accounting Standards” that gave a standard method of analyzing costs for a municipal waste treatment project, “Guidance for Charging a Fee for Municipal waste Treatment” that showed how to carry out procedures for charging a fee, and “Guidelines for a Municipal waste Treatment System for the Establishment of a Sound Material-Cycle Society in Municipalities” that showed the standard categories for sorted collection of municipal waste and ideas on how to recycle and treat them.

At the fiscal 2009, the ministry gave briefings on these guidelines to local public bodies and technically assisted their reform for realization of the 3Rs.

C. Examination and Evaluation of How the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law Has Been Enforced

Ten years have passed since the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law revised in 1997 was enforced, and the national government has examined how the law had been enforced according to the supplementary provisions of the revised law. It was necessary to examine the enforcement state of the law stage by stage. Therefore, in July 2008, the "Expert Committee on Waste Treatment System" was set up in the Central Environment Council to examine and evaluate how the rules for the generation control, proper treatment, etc. of wastes based on the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law were observed, focus on the most important points on the current Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law and examine proper treatment of wastes and measures for 3Rs promotion comprehensively. Based on results of these debates and public comments, the Committee summarized a report. In response to this, the Waste and Recycling Committee of the Central Environment Council offered an opinion, "Direction of Reviewing Waste Treatment System" in January 2010.

On the basis of this opinion, a bill of the Law Making a Partial Amendment to the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law was submitted to the 174th Diet in March 2010.

(3) Johkasou Law (Household Wastewater Treatment Facility Law)

The Johkasou Law enforced in October 1985 aims to properly treat raw sewage and miscellaneous wastewater with household wastewater treatment facilities, to thereby contribute to the conservation of the living environment and the improvement of public health from the viewpoint of conservation of the water quality of the public water area. The law also understands the series of processes of manufacturing, installing, and managing household wastewater treatment facilities in an integrated manner and imposes tighter regulations on them. At the same time, it requires people engaged in the operations of installation and management of the facilities to have certain qualifications.

The law provides that an examination should be carried out to check if each household maintains and manages its household wastewater treatment facility properly. The ratio of households that undertook an examination of water quality conducted at the end of fiscal 2008 according to Article 7 of the law was 89.9%, a 2% increase from fiscal 2007. In addition, the ratio of households that undertook a regular examination of their household wastewater treatment facilities carried out according to Article 11 of the law was 27.2% (48.5% for combined household wastewater treatment facilities), 1.5% increase (1.5% increase for combined household wastewater treatment facilities) from fiscal 2007.

## (4) Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources (Resources Effective Utilization Law)

The Resources Effective Utilization Law enforced in April 2001 specifies the following business categories: 1) business that should control the generation of or recycle by-products (specified businesses in which resources are saved: steel business, paper and pulp manufacturing business, etc.), 2) business that should use recycled resources and recycled parts (specified reuse business: paper manufacturing business, glass container manufacturing business,