Container and Packaging Recycling Law
Also called Law for the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging, has been enforced in April 1997 by the Ministry of the Environment to reduce the waste of glass containers, PET bottles and paper cartons. Since April 2000 plastic containers and packages other than PET bottles have been included. According to the law, the recycling is conducted by the Japanese Container and Package Recycling Association (JCPRA) (財団法人日本容器包装リサイクル協会, Zaidan-hōjin Nihon-yōki-hōsō-risaikuru-kyōkai?), a government-designated organization established September 25, 1996.
| Product | Volume of recycling tons |
Change since 2000 |
Recycling unit costs ¥ / kg |
Change since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass bottles, no color | 155,076 | -16,04% | 4.1 | -1,23% |
| Glass bottles, brown | 133,560 | +43,62% | 5.5 | -28,40% |
| Glass bottles, other | 107,383 | +10,09% | 9.2 | +13,64% |
| PET bottles | 257,906 | +167,03% | 1.7 | -98,09% |
| Paper | 33,934 | -29,03% | 13.3 | -77,32% |
| Plastics | 853,581 | +463,53% | 65.7 | -37,43% |
- The consumers are required to follow sorting guidelines established by the municipalities.
- The sorted waste is then collected by the municipalities and stored for collecting by the recycling company.
- Manufactures and business entities using containers and packages have to pay a recycling fee to the JCPRA, in accordance with the volume they manufacture or sell.
- Each year recycling business entities are selected by a public bidding in every local municipality where a waste storage site is located. They are assigned to collect and transport the waste from the storage sites to recycling facilities. To make sure the waste is getting recycled, these recycling business entities receive payment only after showing a delivery report, signed by the recipient of the recycled products.
Recycling of steel cans is not regulated by the law, but in 2006 about 99% of the municipalities collected and recycled them. In 1973 the Japan Steel Can Recycling Association (スチール缶リサイクル協会, Suchiiru-kan Risaikuru kyōkai?), a non-profit organization to promote the recycling of steel cans, had been established. According to its statistics 88.1% of steel cans have been recycled in 2006, maintaining the world's highest level.
Read more about this topic: Recycling In Japan
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