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
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
More Papers Like This
A Look at the Status of Microplastic Pollution Trends and Possible Solution Frameworks
AI summary Read the abstract
This Japanese review examines the current status of microplastic pollution trends in marine environments and evaluates possible solution frameworks, including source reduction, improved waste management, and international cooperation. The review emphasizes that preventing single-use plastic consumption must be the central strategy in any effective response.
Efforts to Combat Marine Litter in Japan and Future Tasks
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper reviewed Japan's efforts to combat marine litter, including the 2009 Shoreline Debris Management Promotion Act and its 2018 amendment that first incorporated microplastic countermeasures into law. The article described the Ministry of Environment's integrated approach covering waste collection, prevention, monitoring, and international cooperation.
Occurrence, Transport, and Fate of Marine Plastic Debris
AI summary Read the abstract
This Japanese review describes how large plastic waste entering the ocean — predominantly from East and Southeast Asia — is transported by currents and wind, eventually fragmenting into microplastics. The review identifies gaps in understanding the full ocean plastic cycle, including the fates of microplastics through sinking, biofouling, and biological uptake.
The Trend of Plastic Recycling Policies in Japan on the Current Legal Regulation of Transboundary Movements of Plastic Waste
AI summary Read the abstract
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
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.