Japan's New Action Plan to Create a Recycling-Oriented Society through the 3Rs

In an effort to create recycling-oriented societies in Asia, in November 2005 the Japanese Ministry of the Environment released "Japan's Action Plan to Promote Global Zero-Waste Societies." This action plan is a follow-up to an initiative proposed by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and adopted by the G8 Summit in June 2004 that called for the promotion of a recycling-oriented society worldwide through adoption of the so-called "3Rs" - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

The ministry plan focuses on three points. First, it will set up an expert committee in the Central Environment Council to study how to build a sound resource-recycling society and conserve the environment on the global level. The committee will work to communicate Japanese experiences in waste and recycling issues and examine possible approaches to secure appropriate resource recycling for environmental conservation in Asia.

Second, international activities such as policy dialogue and planning support on the 3Rs will be facilitated jointly with Asian countries by developing core human resources and organizations, while building a 3R research network. Third, the 3Rs will be promoted in the domestic arena, for example by facilitating regional planning from the perspective of resource recycling, encouraging eco-community projects, and reviewing the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law.

The Senior Officials Meeting on the 3R Initiative was held in Tokyo from March 6 to 8, 2006, as a follow-up to its Ministerial Conference in April 2005. The ministry will continue to address these three points, in view of the G8 Summit that will be convened in Japan in 2008.

http://www.env.go.jp/earth/3r/en/index.html
http://www.env.go.jp/earth/3r/en/s_officials.html

Posted: 2006/04/05 03:53:04 PM
Japanese version