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Annual Report 2005
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Fiscal 2004 Research Committee Report
“Research and Survey Committee on Building a Recycling Network in Asia”
Project sponsored by the Japan Keirin Association
Summary
With their rapid economic growth in the background, many Asian countries face a mounting problem of waste management in recent years. These countries are increasingly interested in the establishment of proper waste treatment and recycling systems, and almost all of them have already introduced some kinds of laws and regulations on waste management. There are huge gaps among them, however, in the legislation of recycling systems. Embedded with fewer opportunities to exchange information on waste related laws and regulations or policy trends, and limited in their awareness of the needs and technological requirements for proper waste treatment and recycling, they need to develop a system that can nurture common understandings on the issue of waste management by sharing information and technologies. As these Asian countries have significantly different definitions and standards for wastes or hazardous wastes, it is preferable to develop unified standards for chemical hazards and common principles for environmental regulations. Furthermore, if a certain type of products presents difficulties to treat and dispose of in Asian countries, and if Japan possesses appropriate technologies to do so, then it is a duty of Japan to study the possible transfer, acceptance, and treatment of such waste products.
Concerning recyclable resources for export, it is preferable to determine quality specifications for such resources, as it enables quality inspection based on the specifications. In building a resource recycling network, the most essential matter is to ensure the traceability of recyclable resource transport. This can be done step-by-step.: First, relevant entities must develop a system to ensure that the recyclable resources, including residues, are to undergo proper treatment, so to prevent the possibility of improper treatment at the destination facilities. Once such a system is developed, anti-pollution measures to prevent environmental pollution and monitoring systems to monitor the transport of recyclable resources can be installed.
Since the freight cost burden permissible for recyclable resource transport is much less than that of other cargos of arterial physical distribution, the transport costs of recyclable resource should be kept at minimum, in order to maximize the recycling of resources and to promote their effective usage. This can be done most effectively by building a thrifty venous physical distribution system through integrated mass transport systems, or by the transport of recyclable resources as the return cargo of arterial physical distribution. These systems may require the building of accommodating infrastructures in the future. At the same time, Japan and other Asian countries must develop and improve their statistical systems to collect distribution data, in order to grasp the actual situation of cross-border transports concerning wastes and other recyclable resources.
Japan has already established various laws and regulations to help build the recycle-oriented economy and society of its own, and accumulated experiences and know-how that can be transferred to other Asian countries to contribute to their building of a recycle-oriented economy and society. In this respect, Japan must use the opportunities of various policy dialogues with other countries to take an initiative in developing advanced information exchange systems, and offer technological assistance to promote the building of a waste treatment and recycling system that conforms to each country’s social and economic situation. Moreover, Japan needs to exert more efforts in assisting Asian neighbors for capacity buildings, promoting the exchanges of experts in the fields related to the building of recycle-oriented society, and encouraging and directing environment-awareness education to help build a recycle-oriented economy and society throughout the region.
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