Kids Web Japan

Q. What steps are being taken to reduce garbage?

A.

In 1991 Japan enacted the Recycling Law with the objective of reducing garbage and promoting recycling. This law calls on businesses to take such steps as designing products so they can be recycled easily and identifying whether cans are made of steel or aluminum.

Furthermore, efforts are being made to carry out separate collections of aluminum and steel cans and glass bottles to promote recycling. Many civic groups, local governments, and supermarkets engage in the retrieval of used glass bottles, milk cartons, plastic food trays, plastic bottles, and cans, which are then recycled.

Old newspapers and used paper are retrieved from corporate offices as well as ordinary households; offices also make an effort to recycle and reuse the huge amounts of photocopy paper they produce. Some households turn kitchen waste into compost, which can be used as fertilizer.

A law was enacted in 1997 that will establish a system for manufacturers to retrieve and reuse the containers that they used to package their products and that have been collected by the local government.

In a 2000 revision to the law the range of recyclable products covered was expanded to include plastic and paper containers and packaging. This law established the foundation for a recycling society, and since its implementation more laws have been enacted to address various other types of recycling.

Photos courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.