Japanese Universities Adopt Easy-To-Recycle Food Containers

Copyright Shuei Co.

An increasing number of universities in Japan are packing lunches in environmentally friendly containers at their co-ops. These containers are designed for easy recycling so that even college students who have little interest in the environment are willing to recycle them. It is also hoped that such containers will further interest students in learning more about the environment.

The most common recyclable food containers used at university co-ops are the "Re-Repack" and "Hokkaru" (the name "Hokkaru" was coined by combining the Japanese words for " relief" and "profitable"). They both feature a two-layer structure for easy recycling; the inner film can be peeled to remove food waste, eliminating the need for cleaning. In the case of Re-Repack, peeled containers become the raw materials to make new Re-Repacks, whereas Hokkaru containers are collected as household waste paper, and can be used in the production of recycled paper. The non-toxic peeled films can be safely disposed of as burnable trash.

Hokkaru containers were jointly developed by Shuei Co., the student organization "Environment Roderigues," and the Waseda Unidersity Co-op. The involvement of university organizations from the development phase has led many university co-ops to adopt Hokkaru containers. The Re-Repack containers, although they were developed by Yokota Co. without any university involvement, are also widely used by universities because of the convenient pick-up service for used containers. The recycling rate of these containersis low, however, and this remains a challenge to be overcome.

Initiatives of Environment Roderigues, a Student Group (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/ja/pages/023283.html
Green School Festivals Spreading in Japan (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028951.html
Shuei Co., Ltd. official website
http://www.m-osaka.com/en/exhibitors/079/

Posted: 2009/12/06 06:00:15 AM