Japan's Waste Volume Falls in FY2004

Japan's non-industrial waste (garbage and human waste) volume in fiscal 2004 totaled 50.59 million tons, a reduction of 102 tons from the previous year, according to the results of a survey released by the Ministry of the Environment on June 29, 2006. The amount of waste per capita per day was 1,086 grams, down 1.8 percent from the previous year. The total costs for non-industrial waste disposal were 1,934.3 billion yen (about U.S.$16.82 billion), down 25.7 billion yen (U.S.$220 million). Waste disposal costs per capita amounted to 15,200 yen (about U.S.$132).

Recycled waste volume reached 9.40 million tons, a 2.6 percent increase from the 9.16 million tons of fiscal 2003, and the recycling rate rose to 17.6 percent, up 0.8 percentage points, representing a steady increase in recycling. Final disposal (to landfills) decreased to 8.09 million tons, down 4.2 percent from the 8.45 million tons a year earlier. The average remaining life of landfills was 13.2 years, which is almost unchanged from the previous year.

The number of incineration plants nationwide was 1,374, down by 22 from the previous year due to the consolidation of existing plants. The daily handling capacity per plant increased to 143 tons from 139 tons. Those plants that can also generate electricity while incinerating waste increased to 281 from 271 in the previous year, accounting for 20 percent of all incineration facilities; however, the power generation efficiency was only 10.5 percent on average, and exceeded 20 percent for only 11 facilities, accounting for 3.9 percent of all facilities. The total generation capacity increased slightly to 1,491,000 kilowatts, up 3.5 percent. To make better use of the heat generated by incineration, it is essential to shift to heat recovery facilities that generate electricity more efficiently while incinerating waste.


- Ministry Releases Japanese Waste Statistics for FY2003 (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1288-e
- Volumes of Waste in Japan Decreased Slightly in FY 2002 (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1075-e
- Japan's General Waste Volume in 2001 Remains Unchanged (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/647-e

Posted: 2006/09/13 03:25:20 PM
Japanese version