Japan waste pollution - Research Paper Example

Japan waste pollution Japan has been focused on economic development and has primarily given importance to its re-establishment in the global scenario. When we consider the economic and industrial grown, Japan has taken large strides after the World War II in an effort to become a sustainable nation, indulging in industrialization and modernization of all facilities. However, waste pollution became an issue that required to be addressed with the lapse of time. Considering the fact that Japan is the largest importer and consumer of exhaustible resources and fossil fuels, it has a responsibility towards protecting the country and the world from environmental damage, or at least taking steps to minimize the effects. As far as agriculture is concerned, the night soil which used to be disposed into rivers were not much of a problem earlier, but became a threat after the introduction of chemical fertilizers and such. Eventually, the effects of pollution became evident and the people of Japan, who had moved to the cities, began to see the effects of pollution. The development in waste pollution treatment, including the sewerage facilities has always been slow until recent years. Now people have realized the importance of waste pollution treatment. In the past, Japan has suffered considerable loss as a result of waste pollution, including copper poisoning and cadmium poisoning through water sources, Sulphur di-oxide and Nitrogen di-oxide pollution through air. Another important form of poisoning that affected the people was arsenic poisoning which was caused by the arsenic dust from the mines, causing breathing illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. With the increase in the number of waste pollution issues, the government decided to make some drastic changes, making strict efforts to curb pollution. In this paper we will discuss the waste treatment plans that have been implemented, its benefits and those that are in the process of implementation. Past accomplishments in waste treatment It was in 1990 that Japan first made amendments in its environmental laws, including regulations regarding improvement of treatment facilities, restriction of emissions, restriction of waste, relief to waste pollution victims, restriction of land use and other issues. Initially, people were not concerned with environmental improvement and only wished that they would not have to be victims of pollution. Slowly, this changed and people began to believe that it was necessary to implement environmental friendly ideas. Japan then got involved in the most rigorous efforts ever invested in minimizing wastes and promoting recycling as far as possible. The industrial wastes problem included the misuse of disposal sites, inappropriate treatment methods and inappropriate reclamation of wastes. These activities caused the people of Japan to fear environmental damage and began to lose confidence in the environmental laws. In response to this, in 1993, an environmental law was passed: The Basic Law for the Promotion of a Recycling-Oriented Society of 2000. The law aims to: reduce the amount of waste as far as possible, reuse the wastes over and over as far as possible, when items cannot be reused, they must be recycled and used as raw material, even when waste materials are incinerated, use the heat generated by incineration for power generation, also known as thermal recycling, in case none of the above is possible, dispose of waste material in an appropriate manner. (Wong, 2010). Another law which has greatly contributed to the cause of managing and reducing waste pollution is The Waste management law, amended in 2000. The law includes: Definition and categorization of wastes, standards for waste treatment, implementing national policy and regional programs, treatment of municipal waste by municipalities, authorization for waste transporters, treatment facilities and landfills, manifest system for industrial waste and official inspection and penalties. (2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp) Present accomplishments in waste treatment Several other laws have been implemented in Japan over the recent years in an attempt to curb waste pollution such as packaging recycling law, electric appliances recycling law, construction waste recycling law, food waste recycling law and end-of-life vehicle recycling law. The budget of Japan has allocated considerable funds for the improvement of recycling and garbage disposal plants, such as the Osaka City Environmental Management Bureaus Maishima Incineration and Water Treatment Plants. (Wong, 2010). These plants are designed to separate recyclable and non-recyclable wastes and dispose them or incinerate them without letting smell escape the treatment plants. The reinforcement of environmental laws, revision of regulations and the efforts to establish circularity in material recycling have brought back the confidence. According to the air pollution control law, dioxins are classified as pollutants, which force them to limit the emissions produced. Partial amendments in Waste Disposal Law enabled the maintenance of standards of waste disposal facilities. Since April 1995, it has been made obligatory to treat shredder dust in managing-type final disposal sites. (env.go.jp.). This decision was made in an attempt to prevent environmental damage such as ground water pollution due to toxic substances buried at disposal sites. New developments in waste management RDF is gaining importance as a recycling method for kitchen and plastic waste. RDF enables better heat recovery from wastes which will prove to be a benefit. RDF also efficiently reduces the amount of dioxin emissions by appropriate management of combustion. Although, this method was not initially believed to be very beneficial, local governments have slowly come round to see the economic efficiency and the positive effect it would have on environmental protection. Slowly, the RDF technology is coming into practice, which will reduce dioxins as well as help in absorbing heat better. The most important development in the waste treatment scenario would be the development of new methods of final disposal, since nearly 90% of dioxins are a result of incineration. With the introduction of new methods, we can reduce, reuse and recycle more efficiently. Another aspect which requires improvement is the gasification and fusion processes, which would provide a counter solution to the dioxin problem, also improving combustion and reducing the amount of ash produced, while incineration. It is in this direction that we intend to proceed. Conclusion On analyzing the extent of waste pollution in the past and the levels of the present, we may conclude that considerable efforts have been taken to curb pollution. However, it will be necessary that we come up with innovative methods of waste disposal, which would simplify and make more environmentally viable, the final disposal process. Reference 2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp. Overview of Japanese Legislation on Waste Management. Retrieved March 13, 2010 from http://www2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/anmc21_WM/legislation.htm env.go.jp. (1998). Quality of the Environment in Japan in 1998. Retrieved March 13, 2010 from http://www.env.go.jp/en/wpaper/1998/ch1-1.html Wong, M. (March, 2010). Waste Disposal Gets a New Look in Japan. Retrieved March 13, 2010 from http://www.newcolonist.com/osaka_waste.html Read More