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What kinds of recycling are common in Japan? |
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The types of recycling now being carried out on a full scale in Japan are for steel cans, aluminum cans, and glass bottles. According to statistics for 1997, 79.6% of steel cans were recycled, as were 72.6% of aluminum cans and 67.4% of glass bottles. Also, 54% of newspapers and other used paper were recycled. Recycling of plastic bottles has also started, but 21,361 tons of PET bottles that were recycled in 1997 were only 9.8% of the total. (PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate; it's the type of plastic commonly used for clear plastic bottles of mineral water and other soft drinks.)
Photos courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. |
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Under the Law for the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recommercialization of Containers and Packages effective April 1997, food manufacturers and businesses like department stores and supermarkets have to recycle the bottles, cans, PET bottles, boxes, bags, and other containers or packaging that they use. The purpose of the law is to reduce the amount of rubbish that has to be disposed of. This should increase the rate of recycling. The government's target is to raise the rate to 56% for used paper by the year 2000. The targetted ratio is 85% for steel cans, and 80% for aluminum cans by the year 2002.