January 21, 2013
Keywords: Local government Reduce / Reuse / Recycle
Since November 2004, Shinjo City in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan has been operating a "Shinjo Style" Recycling System for recycling food trays without incineration in cooperation with a social welfare facility and a manufacturer, Yokota Tohoku Co.
Used trays from households are collected at recycling bins located at 14 supermarkets, and are then sorted and made into pellets at a welfare facility by a machine provided without charge by the company. The pellets are purchased from the facility and then manufactured into an innovative tray called P & P Re-Repack that can be collected by simply peeling off a special film from the top.
As about 40 percent of household trash in Japan is made up of trays, the impact of this project on global environmental conservation is expected to be significant.