Participants on a "re-use tour" of the Japan Pavilion Nagakute (Re-use Nippon-kan)

Up for Auction
During Expo 2005, strenuous efforts were made to separate garbage and recycle as much as possible. Now that the festivities are over, similar efforts are being directed at reducing the amount of waste produced as the site is dismantled.

At the forefront of such efforts are the organizers of the Japan Pavilion, who have been stressing the benefits of recycling on the pavilion's website (titled "Re-use Nippon-kan") and elsewhere. Right from the planning stage, the designers of the Japan Pavilion selected materials that would be easy to recycle and produce a minimal amount of waste after the building was dismantled. Around 20,000 items, including the wood and bamboo used to construct the pavilion, as well as electrical sockets and switches, will be auctioned off after the building is taken apart.

The website states that the reuse of materials is the Japan Pavilion's final project and expresses the hope that this idea is realized and remains with the people throughout the country who purchase items used in the pavilion.

Finding New Homes
Many visitors to the Expo relied on the Global Tram, a three-car bus, to get around the Global Loop. Designed to be part of a barrier-free environment, the battery-equipped vehicle has ramps for easy wheelchair access. Under the recycling program, the Global Tram's new home will be the Nagashima hot-spring resort in neighboring Mie Prefecture. The local tourist promotion association intends to use the vehicle to shuttle visitors between parking lots and the resort.

Another piece of Expo equipment bound for a new home is the "Dry Mist" sprayer, which kept visitors cool amid the heat of summer by spraying them with a fine mist. A local government plans to acquire and use the machine.

Designers selected materials that could easily be recycled. (Re-use Nippon-kan)

Recycling Power
The innovative power-generation equipment developed for the Expo by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), an independent administrative institution, and used by a number of facilities, including Japan Pavilion Nagakute, is to be reinstalled in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture. There, it will be used for experiments involving solar and fuel-cell power. It will also be used on a trial basis to provide power to the city hall and other local facilities.

In a similar plan, Chubu Electric Power Co. will take possession of a solar power generator used as a power source for fountains and other water displays at the Wonder Circus-Electric Power Pavilion, one of the Expo's most popular attractions. Chubu plans to keep the generator operating.

Another crowd pleaser was the Linear Motorcar, which was displayed at the JR Central Pavilion and was a favorite spot for visitors to take photos commemorating their day at the Expo. In the near future it will be used in endurance tests in Nagoya to see how it fares in inclement weather. Efforts are also being made to see if the pipes installed in the site's exterior walls can be recycled, while officials are considering whether the uniforms worn by Expo staff members can be somehow reused in the future.

Even the site itself is slated to be reused as a park that will retain a few structures and attractions from the Expo, including Satsuki and Mei's House. Many of the exhibits and structures once belonging to the corporate and foreign pavilions will be presented as gifts to various places throughout Japan.

In their new locations and roles, these recycled and reused objects will continue to embody the legacy of Expo 2005 well into the future.

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Copyright (c) 2005 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.

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