GAIA

Greenpeace Hails
First-ever Zero Waste Declaration in Japan
Kamikatsu town in Tokushima prefecture adopts policy aiming for zero waste by 2020 without incineration or landfills.

A man sorting out cans in a Zero Waste project in Kamikatsu, Japan

Tokyo, September -- The town council of Kamikatsu, located in Tokushima prefecture in the southwestern island of Shikoku in Japan, today renounced Japan's continuing reliance on dirty technologies to deal with its waste problems by adopting the country's first-ever Zero-Waste Declaration, which aims to eliminate the need for incinerators and landfills and move the town's communities towards safe and sustainable discard management systems.

Called the "Kamikatsu Town Zero Waste Declaration," the policy states that "to bequeath clean air, palatable water, and fertile earth for the children of posterity, the town of Kamikatsu shall abrogate waste incineration and landfills by the year 2020 to achieve zero waste." No municipality in Japan has ever adopted this kind of policy, which makes it an unprecedented victory for waste activists in what is considered to be the incinerator capital of the world. Japan operates the most number of waste incinerators than any other country in the world today . It also holds the dubious distinction of having the highest levels of dioxins in the environment, a likely consequence of the government's mindless burning policies.

N adopting the policy, Kamikatsu embraces the Zero Waste approach which is already accepted practice in many cities and municipalities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and even in developing countries. Zero Waste seeks to eliminate waste, reduce the quantities and toxicities of materials used , and promote the reuse, recycling or composting of discarded materials .

The mayor of Kamikatsu stressed the importance of the Declaration , saying that with it, "Kamikatsu hopes to send the message that Japan needs to move away from its continuing addiction to expensive and polluting technologies which is leaving behind a wasteful and toxic legacy for future generations." He further added, "I want to help expand the network of zero waste municipalities not just in Japan but also worldwide. We hope that with our example, we would be able to encourage other municipalities to adopt the same policy."

"Kamikatsu's Zero Waste Declaration represents hope and renewal for every community fighting incinerators and other dirty technologies in Japan and elsewhere. It is important that any declaration aiming to achieve zero waste carry a clear deadline like Kamikatsu's 2020 vision. The deadline ensures that laws and ordinances which obligate manufacturers to be responsible for the recovery of their products, coupled with improvements in existing recycling systems , would be implemented to maximum effect," said Greenpeace Japan's toxics campaigner Junichi Sato.

Greenpeace Japan and the world-renowned expert on waste incineration and zero waste Dr. Paul Connett of St. Lawrence University have together toured Japan since July asking large and small municipalities to adopt zero waste policies. Dr. Connett was in Kamikatsu last July where he gave a lecture on zero waste to town residents. Informed about the Kamikatsu Declaration, Dr. Connett commented that "the decision is the first prescription to Japan's "mad burn-disease. When I visited the town of Kamikatsu this summer, I was very impressed by the responsible efforts made by the town citizens and the mayor," he added.

For his part, Von Hernandez of Greenpeace International said that the "Japanese government should follow Kamikatsu's lead instead of building more burners and exporting them to its neighboring countries in Asia. In Southeast Asia, there is already growing resistance to these Japanese dirty technology transfer schemes which are often masquerading as aid packages."
For his work in helping ban waste incineration in Philippines, Hernandez was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environment Prize , widely recognized as the Nobel Prize for the environment, last April.

Greenpeace Japan will continue to approach and work with municipalities which are implementing progressive policies on waste management throughout Japan, and help create a network of zero waste communities demanding community based sustainable waste management programs and practices.

For more information, please contact Junichi Sato, Toxics campaigner, Greenpeace Japan.