Environment Ministry Announces Plan against Illegal Dumping

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment released an "Action Plan to Eliminate Illegal Dumping" on June 15, 2004. To eradicate the problem of unlawful waste disposal that has grown more serious in recent years, the action plan provides comprehensive measures at each stage of the problem: disposal from households and industry; proper collection and transport; waste treatment at authorized facilities; and illegal dumping.

In recent years, a total of about 400,000 tons of illegally dumped industrial waste has been uncovered annually at about 1,000 incidents. As of the beginning of fiscal 2003, the total amount of such waste still on the ground at 2,500 incidents across the nation was estimated at about 10.96 million tons. The ministry aims to prevent all new large-scale illegal dumping (over 5,000 tons per site) within five years as the intermediate target of the action plan.

The key points of this plan are:
1. To raise people's environmental awareness by promoting reduction of household and non-industrial wastes;
2. To improve the waste treatment system by upgrading waste disposal facilities, using government support; and
3. To conduct capacity building of personnel to support regulations.

In addition, the ministry has set up a "Hotline for Reporting Illegal Dumping of Industrial Waste" to encourage the public to report illegal dumping by e-mail or fax.




Posted: 2004/09/08 01:41:05 PM
Japanese version