A new vision for Sapporo, Japan
The city of Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture in northern Japan. It is Japan’s fifth-largest city, with a population of 1.89 million. The recent review of the Sapporo Solid Waste Plan 21 highlights the main waste management issues facing the city. Of particular importance is the co-operation needed between citizens (including private companies) and the government throughout the life-cycle of different products - an aspect that features strongly in the Solid Waste Plan (SWP). Before examining this issue in greater detail, let us first look at the city’s waste management infrastructure.
Waste collection, recycling and disposal in Sapporo
Sapporo has a range of waste management facilities catering primarily for household waste (Table 1). But while Japanese law obligates the business sector to manage its waste, municipality-owned facilities also receive business and commercial solid waste as a part of municipal solid waste (MSW).
MSW is separated into five categories for collection: combustible waste, non-combustible waste, recyclables, plastic packaging, and bulky waste.
Combustible waste (food waste, paper, textile, and garden waste) is collected twice per week, while non-combustible waste, recyclables, and plastic packaging are collected once per week. Bulky waste is collected upon request for a fee. Non-combustible waste includes non-bulky household electrical goods, packaging and containers not designated as recyclables.
Certain wastes are also recycled at a community level. For example, 53,242 tonnes of waste paper was collected in 2003 through group recycling (i.e. voluntary collection by citizens, mostly organized by community groups). When group recycling is taken into account (more than 99% is paper), 16% of household waste can be classed as recycled. The mass balance and fate of MSW is shown in Table 2.
Recyclables are sorted at the two municipal recycling facilities (MRFs) to recover cans, PET bottles and glass bottles by screening, magnetic separation, air classification and manual separation. Plastic packaging is sent to the pyrolysis plant to recover oils after manual removal of contaminants. Recovered PET bottles are used to produce PET sheets. Both the pyrolysis plant and PET sheet plant are located in the Sapporo Recycling Complex, an area of several hectares with more than 10 solid waste management facilities along with other recycling facilities for waste concrete, food waste, used tyres, demolition waste and industrial waste. Each year, about 44,550 tonnes of commercial waste (selected paper, plastics, and wood) are recycled to produce a stick-like, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which is used in paper mills.
Underlying this infrastructure and ongoing development is an important policy framework.
Waste policy in context
In terms of solid waste management policy, Japan has changed drastically in the past five years from a mass production and mass consumption society to a ‘material-cycle society’. In 2000, the Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society was passed which aims to reduce natural resource consumption and environmental impact by the ‘3R’ principle (reduce, reuse and recycle). Several recycling laws - including the Packaging Recycling Law - were also passed. As a result of the emphasis on 3R activities, Japan is moving towards becoming a mass-recycling society.
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In addition to national legislation, municipalities are legally obliged to develop a plan for handling the MSW generated in their administrative areas. Such plans contain:
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- estimates of future waste volume
- measures to reduce waste
- measures to encourage source separation
- a framework for solid waste disposal and the construction and management of solid waste management facilities.
In fact, two types of plan are created:
 A municipal recycling facility recovers cans, PET bottles and glass bottles in Sapporo, Japan |
- a long-term (basic) plan which provides an outline and policy for solid waste management for 10-15 years
- annual enforcement plans, based on the basic plan.
Sapporo’s strategy for sustainability
Japan has traditionally taken an end-of-pipe approach to waste management, focusing mainly on the treatment and disposal of MSW. Citizens and private business are expected to recycle and minimize waste, but municipalities have not been closely involved in their activities.
Five years after Sapporo Solid Waste Plan 21 was formulated, the city set up a committee in April 2005 to revise it with 20 members from various sectors (including myself). After extensive discussion and data collection, the revised plan will be accepted early this year.
 FIGURE 1. A holistic approach to waste reduction and recycling with total control of waste through its life-cycle |
The revised plan proposes to extend the city’s commitment to the life-cycle of waste including retailing, consumption, reuse, recycling and disposal of waste products. It stresses the need, at all stages, for the city to co-ordinate the waste minimization and recycling scheme, and to support or promote citizen involvement. The co-operation of government, citizens and the business sector is crucial to maintaining efficient activity.
The new solid waste management scheme will be extensive, covering all the stages shown in Figure 1. However, focusing on the main components of waste is the most effective approach. For example, 1-litre paper milk cartons are recycled with zeal by citizens, but account for less than 1% of household waste. Food waste and paper are the biggest components of household waste and need to be reduced first. It is also necessary to identify which stages could produce the most effective changes.
A set of measures will not work efficiently by itself. The scheme’s success will depend on the citizens’ understanding of, and participation, in the programme. Providing measures for 3R activities and promoting public awareness are two pillars of the integrated solid waste management programme in Sapporo. Public education programmes and communication between government officials and citizens must improve for participation to increase.
Retailing and consumption stage
Japanese supermarkets are notorious for over-packaging every kind of food (vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, etc.). Wrapping and plastic food trays are a major source of packaging waste. Reduction or recovery of packaging reduces excessive packaging waste, but stronger drivers to motivate retailers to reduce packaging and to motivate citizens to purchase products with reduced packaging are needed. Governmental certification of such eco-packaging provides incentives to both retailers and citizens.
People who buy eco-friendly products such as recycled or reusable products are called ‘green consumers’. A guidebook and information provided by the city of Sapporo aims to help increase the number of green consumers. A map of recycling shops, rental shops and eco-shops is one example of such useful information. Businesses are also expected to adopt ‘green purchasing’ and to set up an environmental management system (EMS).
Post-consumer stage
Recyclables are collected by the city. Recovery rates of waste packaging are high, but are achieved at a high economic burden to the city. The cost of collection and processing for recyclables is US$600 per tonne, which is twice as expensive as for combustibles and non-combustibles. The revised SWP recommends the use of a multi-route collection system for recyclables (based on traditional group collection and a drop-off system) in which citizens bring recyclables to supermarkets (cans, glass and plastics) and drop-off centres (paper). Such a system gives citizens a choice and reduces the city’s collection expenses.
 A plastics sorting facility in Sapporo, Japan |
Group recycling is mostly carried out by local communities (100-500 households) and is the major collection route for waste paper in Sapporo. Although newsprint and magazines are recovered through this programme, waste paper still accounts for 30%-40% of household waste. The revised SWP proposes the collection of mixed papers through group collection. According to waste composition and other data from other cities, a reduction of 60 g per person per day (a 10% decrease in household waste) is achievable.
Another target for group recycling is reusable glass bottles. Before the Packaging Recycling Law was passed the bottles were collected through group recycling, but will now be collected by the city together with other recyclables. A recent study found that 50% of reusable bottles were broken during collection and sent to the landfill.1 The revised SWP proposes to recover 100% of reusable glass bottles through group recycling, though this will require increased citizen participation and more communities practising group recycling.
At present, drop-off centres for waste paper are located only at community centres and private recycling companies. The number of centres need to be increased to improve accessibility. Other recyclables (plastic trays, milk cartons and cans) can be dropped off at supermarkets. Increasing the number of drop-off centres and allowing other items to be dropped off would make drop-off collection more convenient.
Food waste is the second largest component of municipal waste. Although 45% of people in Sapporo live in single-family houses with gardens, home composting is not popular due to the odour produced. Another 10% reduction in waste is possible by educating people about composting, including topics such as aeration, addition of dry material and dehydration of input waste. Due to its high moisture content, separate collection of food waste for composting at a central facility does not seem feasible, but composting at a community level is a possible alternative for apartment buildings. Waste reduction at source will partly solve the common problem of littering caused by birds scavenging for food waste.
Collection by the city
Under the current scheme, garden or yard waste is collected as a type of combustible waste and is incinerated. Each person is estimated to generate 50 g per day of this waste, which could be diverted from the solid waste stream. Windrow composting is a possible option, although only a few cities in Japan currently use such a system.
Household waste is collected at kerbside ‘refuse stations’ where 20-30 households take their waste on a designated day of the week. Citizens are supposed to separate waste according to the city’s rules. However, improper separation of waste (such as combustible waste in recyclables) and violation of the designated time or day occur frequently, causing disputes among community members. Because residents in apartment buildings are the main people blamed for these problems, mandatory placement of refuse stations in front of apartment buildings is proposed in the revised SWP.
Waste disposal
Like other cities in Japan, Sapporo depends mainly on incineration and landfills for waste disposal. Source separation and recycling of food waste is one alternative option but, as mentioned above, developing a collection scheme and a cost-benefit analysis of the recycling process (methane recovery is now gaining popularity) are prerequisites for realizing such options.
Because 70% by weight of landfill waste comes from the business and commercial sectors (see Table 2), increasing the diversion rate of business/commercial waste appears an effective way of extending the life of Sapporo’s landfills. Inspection at the gate to ban landfilling of recyclables and raising the tipping fee for landfill use are possible strategies for improving the diversion rate.
Education and communication
A waste reduction scheme will not succeed without the participation of citizens. Providing information and interactive communication are crucial to making the system meaningful and efficient.
To inform citizens of the need to reduce waste, the city of Sapporo publishes details of waste amounts and the costs of waste management in monthly newsletters distributed to all households. But presenting the figures as ‘total cost’ and ‘cost per person’ does not impress upon citizens how critical the situation is. In addition, most citizens probably do not read all the articles because the newsletters contain so much municipal information.
To provide an incentive for waste reduction, easy-to-understand statements such as ‘Recycling of mixed paper can save $17 per household a year’ are desirable. Use of statements like this would make communication between the city and its citizens more efficient. To allow for the diversity of citizens, information should be provided in multiple ways such as posters, advertisements on public transport and the newspaper.
Citizens’ groups are often the focus of activities related to waste minimization, reuse, recycling and lifestyle changes. However, they are currently independent of each other and the city’s support for them is inadequate. Networking between groups and the city would enhance communication and overall activity, with the city acting as a mediator to organize the network. In addition, educational opportunities could be provided for many citizens by face-to-face communication with government officials in a community meeting or local workshop.
Recently, an increasing number of municipalities in Japan have initiated pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) systems or imposed fees for waste collection. In most cases, PAYT is implemented as a tool to reduce waste and encourage reuse or recycling rather than disposal. Because education and communication work slowly and are effective only on a limited proportion of people, PAYT is critical to influencing the behaviour of those who are currently less aware of the importance of waste minimization and recycling.
Note
1. Matsuto, T., 2005. Material Flow Analysis of Beverage Bottles and Cans in Municipal Collection and Recovery Processes. Journal of the Japan Society of Waste Management Experts, 16(6), 441-452. (in Japanese)
Toshihiko Matsuto is Professor of Solid Waste Disposal Engineering at Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
e-mail: matsuto@eng.hokudai.ac.jp
This article is based on the final report of the advisory board on waste minimization for the city of Sapporo.
