Chika Aoki-Suzuki

Waste reduction and recycling initiatives in Japanese cities: Lessons from Yokohama and Kamakura

Waste reduction and recycling at the city level will acquire greater significance in the near future due to rising global volumes of waste. This paper seeks to identify policy-relevant drivers for successful promotion of waste reduction and recycling. Factors influencing the success of waste reduction and recycling campaigns are identified. Two case study cities in Japan which depict the successful use of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) at the municipal level are presented. In these cases, the existence of incinerators, which are generally considered as disincentives for recycling, was not functioning as a disincentive but rather as an incentive for waste reduction. Owing to the high cost of incineration facilities, the movement to close incinerators has become a strong incentive for waste reduction and recycling in these two cities. The study suggests that careful consideration is necessary when making decisions concerning high-cost waste treatment facilities with high installation, maintenance and renewal outlays. In addition, intensive source separation and other municipal recycling initiatives have a high potential for producing positive results.

International Comparison and Suggestions for Capacity Development in Industrializing Countries

The global consumption of natural resources is soaring, especially in rapidly industrializing economies. This increasing demand is depleting resource stocks and is a major driver of other environmental problems, including climate change and waste. With rising prices and growing concerns about resource access, these trends are increasingly attracting policy makers’ attention. Some developed countries have devised indicator systems, based on economy‐wide material flow analysis/accounting (EW‐MFA), to monitor resource consumption. This article consists of two separate but related parts: (1) a study of how EW‐MFA indicators are used in a number of developed countries, including analysis of the commonalities between countries that are actively using these indicators in policy, and (2) a survey of the current capacity for EW‐MFA in developing countries, including data availability and policy uptake. This study found that countries in which policy makers show a great interest in EW‐MFA indicators are characterized by large resource imports and large net export of manufactured goods. Many rapidly industrializing countries demonstrate similar characteristics. The study of developing countries found that many of the data for EW‐MFA exist, but collection is fragmented and access is limited. This article recommends that capacity development of EW‐MFA in rapidly industrializing economies should first coordinate a national focal point and then raise awareness among government officials, strengthen institutions collecting EW‐MFA data, and train researchers and experts in EW‐MFA techniques and effective policy interaction.

Trade of secondhand EEE from Japan to developing Asia — the need for policy development based on actor analysis

The trade in secondhand electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is increasing in Asia, and growing environmental problems caused by improper recycling in developing countries have been reported. However, the current policy frameworks are not sufficient to assure safe and beneficial international reuse. In order to support the development of an appropriate policy response to assure reasonable reuse, this paper first tries to identify the major issues associated with international trade of secondhand EEE; then, it argues that, for further policy development, it is important to identify key actors in the international trade network for secondhand goods and to analyze their incentives.