We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Recycling Laws and Their Evaluation in Japan
Summary
Japan's suite of recycling laws — covering packaging, appliances, vehicles, construction materials, and food waste — is reviewed alongside the emerging microplastics problem and Japan's policy responses to it. The paper highlights that existing recycling frameworks were not designed with microplastics in mind, creating regulatory gaps that need to be addressed as plastic debris increasingly fragments into microscale particles.
In this chapter, firstly we explain the various recycling laws that have been enacted in recent years such as Container and Packaging Recycling Act, Home Appliance Recycling Act, Small Home Appliance Recycling Act, End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Act, Construction Material Recycling Act, and Food Waste Recycling Act and discuss their problems. Second, we describe the “microplastics problem”, a new emerging global waste problem, and its measures in Japan. Finely we discuss the policy against illegal dumping which occurs in the waste and recycling management.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Sustainable Waste Management in Japan: Challenges, Achievements, and Future Prospects: A Review
This review examines Japan's approach to sustainable waste management, analyzing the country's policies, achievements, and ongoing challenges. Researchers highlighted Japan's comprehensive recycling programs, advanced waste-to-energy infrastructure, and the cultural practices that support waste reduction. The study identifies remaining issues including managing plastic waste and adapting systems for an aging population with changing consumption patterns.
The Trend of Plastic Recycling Policies in Japan on the Current Legal Regulation of Transboundary Movements of Plastic Waste
This paper reviews how Japan is reforming its plastic recycling policies following China's 2017 import ban on plastic waste and changes to the Basel Convention regulating international plastic waste trade. Japan's policy evolution offers lessons for how developed countries can build domestic plastic recycling capacity when export-based approaches are no longer viable.
Current Status and Issues of Microplastic Pollution Research
This Japanese review summarized microplastic research in river and ocean environments, including national estimates of plastic discharged from Japan's rivers to the sea and microplastic distribution in Tokyo Bay. The paper also reviewed current analytical methods and their limitations for measuring small microplastic particles.
Investigation of Prevailing Directives Regarding Microplastic Pollution
This review examines prevailing regulations and directives governing microplastic pollution, which enters land and water environments through inadequate plastic waste management and urban wastewater discharge. The authors analyze gaps in current policy frameworks and assess the effectiveness of existing global and regional legislative approaches.
Dynamics of Marine Microplastics
This Japanese-language overview examines the dynamics of marine microplastics, addressing their impacts on marine organisms and biogeochemical material cycling in ocean environments.