Land for landfills is no longer left: how in Japan they solve the problem of household waste

The problem of household waste disposal is very relevant for Japan, because on an area of just under 378,000 square meters. km 126 million people live. The organization of huge solid waste landfills for a densely populated country, where every square meter of land is worth its weight in gold, is a very expensive pleasure. How does Japan, a country with a high level of economic development, in which each of its inhabitants produces more than 400 kilograms of household waste annually, solve the problem of waste disposal? Today we will talk about this in our review.

Garbage sorting system

The first thing worth mentioning is, of course, the culture of household waste management in Japan itself. Waste in this country must be sorted, but not in the same way as, for example, in the countries of Europe or the USA. The Japanese put garbage in separate containers according to categories: combustible waste, non-combustible and those that are recyclable. Oversized garbage such as old furniture, for example, is taken out separately. But you cannot just take out your used home appliances here just before the arrival of the car picking up the garbage, they hand it over for a fee for recycling. On the streets and in shopping centers you can find containers with separate containers for plastic, paper, glass and other garbage. The Japanese are very disciplined, so the rules for the separate collection of waste in the Land of the Rising Sun are strictly observed. But unscrupulous citizens or foreigners who have not had time to master the Japanese sorting system will face serious fines and censure from the public.

Recycling

Municipal solid waste from the category “for recycling”, which is approximately 17-20% of the total volume, is returned to industrial production. Glass, plastic, paper and cardboard, metal products - all this after processing begins a new life.

Incinerators

The construction of incinerators is often associated with many problems, and both local residents and environmentalists are actively opposing them. But not in Japan. Here, incinerators are built using the most modern technologies, and the waste itself is burned by plasma gasification. With this method of combustion and an effective gas purification system, practically no toxic substances are emitted into the atmosphere, therefore they do no harm to the environmental condition of the surrounding area. In addition, incinerators, which recycle more than 70% of all household waste in Japan, are a supplier of thermal energy.

Islands of garbage

In Japan, where the problem of lack of territory is acute, there is another way to dispose of solid waste - the construction of artificial islands. For example, the rather large island of Odaiba, on which one of the districts of Tokyo is located, was created using solid waste.

MSW landfills

All those household waste that could not be burned, processed and sent for landfilling, goes to landfill. It should be noted that in some densely populated areas of the country, the opportunities for burial have already been exhausted and solid waste are transported to neighboring prefectures. But in the province, suitable places for organizing landfills are becoming less and less. Less than 5% of household waste is subject to burial. For comparison, in France this figure is about 30%, in the USA - above 50%, and in Russia, Bulgaria and Romania - over 90%.

Refusal of disposable things

The level of consumption in Japan is comparable to the European one, which means that disposable bags, plastic containers and other packaging make up a significant share of the garbage produced by ordinary citizens. Therefore, many cities and prefectures have introduced policies aimed at reducing the generation of disposable waste, the so-called “zero waste program” or the “mottainai” philosophy. Thus, we can conclude that Japan, due to the lack of "excess" land, chose for itself the way of burning the bulk of the domestic waste generated in the country. More than 1000 factories across the country, most of which are located in urban areas, contribute to solving the problem of household waste.