``Waste incineration facilities are surplus''-Structural problem of garbage administration-Yahoo! News

Japanese garbage continues to decrease. At its peak, it was close to 55 million tons, but now it is in the middle of 40 million tons. As long as we live and do industrial activities, garbage will continue to be produced. However, not many people care about what happens to the garbage after it is thrown away. "The world of garbage = waste" that is familiar but unexpectedly unknown. Hiroaki Sugimoto, a former reporter for the Asahi Shimbun who has been following environmental issues for 25 years and the author of "Reportage Nippon no Garbage", says that Japan's garbage disposal is "incineration supremacy", and there are surplus garbage incineration facilities. He criticizes the rigid waste administration. (Yahoo! News Editorial Department/THE PAGE)

Not enough trash?

Mr. Sugimoto says, "There is not enough garbage in Japan today." There are too many incinerators and not enough waste to burn. Garbage includes "general waste", which consists of household waste from households and business waste from shops and buildings, and "industrial waste" from business activities such as factories. The garbage that Mr. Sugimoto points out as "not enough" is general waste.

When Japan entered the bubble economy, garbage continued to increase. At that time, waste disposal in Japan was based on “burning and burying”. As a result, local governments across the country were forced to develop incineration facilities and landfill sites. However, with the bursting of the bubble, that major premise collapsed.

Economic activity stagnated due to the economic downturn after the bubble burst. In 1991, the Recycling Law was enacted to promote recycling, and local governments made efforts to reduce waste. In 2012, it decreased to 44.87 million tons.

According to the "Waste Management in Japan" published annually by the Ministry of the Environment, the amount of incinerated waste continued to decline from 40.63 million tons in 2001 to 33.73 million tons in 2013. On the other hand, the daily incineration capacity of incineration facilities has decreased by only about 10% from 202,700 tons (2001) to 182,700 tons.

According to Mr. Sugimoto, the amount of garbage burned nationwide in 2013 was 33.73 million tons. It is said that the incineration capacity has increased by 46%, which means that the incineration capacity has a margin of about 1.5 times.

Mr. Sugimoto points out, ``Even though the trend of reducing waste has begun, each local government continued to build incineration facilities.

Structural issues in the background

In Tokyo, the amount of garbage continues to decrease more than expected by the 23-ward cleaning department association, and in order to maintain the incineration plant, securing garbage is a "challenge." ” became. The situation was especially serious at the Koto Incineration Plant, a large-scale facility with an incineration capacity of 1,800 tons per day.

On the other hand, some local governments have closed and closed incineration facilities in line with the current situation where garbage continues to decrease. In Yokohama City, the "Sakae Factory" (2005) and the "Konan Factory" (2006) were abolished, and in 2010 the "Hodogaya Factory" was closed. The three plants had a daily incineration capacity of 3,600 tons, but even so, there is still a margin of more than 30% at present.

The "Nanyo Factory" in Nagoya City has three furnaces and can incinerate 1,500 tons per day. However, only one furnace is currently in operation. In other words, it only moves 500 tons. Mr. Sugimoto says, "There are many places like this all over the country," pointing out that there are structural problems behind it. "Municipalities want a lot of subsidies. That's why they want facilities that are larger than they can afford. Plant manufacturers will also make money if they sell incineration facilities, so they will go on the offensive."

Does Germany burn garbage?

Mr. Sugimoto asks whether Japan's "waste administration", which overemphasizes "incineration," will continue. Looking overseas, Germany, which has a strong image of an environmentally advanced country, has multiple options to deal with the waste problem.

We are the first company in the world to introduce "Extended Producer Responsibility", which puts manufacturers in charge of collecting and recycling container and packaging waste, and boasts a high recycling rate. Germany recycles 46% of its annual waste output as recyclable waste.

However, I am not denying incineration. Garbage is also burned in Germany. What differs from Japan is the high rate of energy recovery from waste incineration.

In Germany, the amount of incineration is about half that of Japan (17.56 million tons in 2013), but the scale of individual facilities is large, and the energy recovery rate for power generation and heat recovery combined exceeds 40%. In Japan, there are many small incineration facilities, and less than 30% of facilities have power generation facilities. Moreover, since it is often located in a remote place, there are few cases where heat is supplied to the area.

Knowing the whereabouts of garbage

“Even for households, the problem of garbage stops at sorting,” says Mr. Sugimoto. Many people think that sorted waste is properly disposed of by local governments such as municipalities and recycled properly. However, if you know how your own garbage is actually disposed of, how it is used, or whether it is not used, "I think you will think about whether the current garbage disposal method is good." I put my strength into it.

Mr. Sugimoto analyzes the current situation that sorting and recycling garbage is not a means but an end. "Separating and recycling garbage is a 'method' and not a 'goal.' The goal is resource recycling and resource efficiency. The same goes for reuse, and we will use limited resources carefully. should

Because garbage is a familiar part of our lives, knowing ``the whereabouts of your own garbage'' is the first step to act with opinions and ideas. Mr. Sugimoto calls on people to take an interest in investigating what happens to garbage in our town.

Hiroaki Sugimoto, former Asahi Shimbun reporter. He covers environmental issues such as waste and global warming. Currently the representative of the NPO Miraisha.