After the United States, Japan has the highest per-capita rate of plastic waste in the world. It also provides the essential when and where and how to get there. Environmental risks and health. And amidst growing concern over the ocean plastics crisis globally, the conversation around the perils of plastic waste is still in a relatively early stage here. However, it’s important to note that this figure includes BURNING plastic as a form of energy, so it may be a little misleading…. Does COVID Have A Silver Lining For Climate? Japan touts an enviable waste management system, and the government says more than 80 percent of its plastic waste is recycled. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry… But after a while, it struck me that this gift was a symptom of a much larger problem; systemic, uncontrolled overconsumption of plastics. Humankind currently produces two billion tonnes of waste per year between 7.6 billion people. Many larger supermarkets no longer give away free plastic bags (they can cost 5 or 10 yen depending on size), but smaller retailers and convenience stores continue the practice. Japan is the second-biggest emitter of plastic waste per capita after the United States, according to The Guardian. Put another way, 740 PET bottles are bought nationwide every second. There’s also a growing awareness of the plastics problem on the consumer side, with a rising number of grassroots movements (e.g. It's part of a national effort to reduce plastic waste in a country that the U.N. says has the second highest rate of per capita plastic packaging consumption in the world. Try our corporate solution for free! Wrapping in Japanese stores remains excessive. The ministry expects the retailers to charge between several yen to 10 yen per bag. The biggest waste producers worldwide: Sensonseo Global Waste Index 2019. Environment Program that Japan, after the United States, was the world’s second largest generator of plastic waste per capita… Japan produces the largest amount of plastic waste per capita after the United States and has lagged behind other countries in curbing the use of plastics. In response, many countries are moving towards outright bans of single-use plastics around the world. For more on social and environmental issues in Japan, check out 5 social businesses in Japan changing the way we “do good”, or Sanpo Yoshi: the Japanese business principle of success through responsibility. In the chart we see the per capita rate of plastic waste generation, measured in kilograms per person per day. Municipal waste - Generation and Treatment. The average person in Japan uses up to 450 plastic bags per year. To the dismay of many environmentalists, however, both Japan and the USA declined to sign the G7 Pact to reduce the use of single-use plastics and prevent plastic pollution in 2018. The country produces more plastic packaging waste per capita than any nation apart from the United States, according to the United Nations, with … second-highest plastic package waste per capita after the U.S. -- offering bags with the smallest of purchases and putting wrappers on single use items like chopsticks.. Our ability to cope with plastic waste is already overwhelmed. Will Japan follow suit? Japan is notorious for its use of plastic. provides the essential when and where and how to get there. and offers useful information and services for visitors to Japan. Built-up area in Functional Urban Areas. On a per capita basis, Japan consumes more plastic than the European Union average and China, but less than the United States, according to the United Nations Environment Program. 640 kgs per person per year 2000: 6: Norway: 620 kgs per person per year 2000: 7: Netherlands: 610 kgs per person per year 2000 =8: Austria: 560 kgs per person per year 2000 =8: United Kingdom: 560 kgs per person per year 2000 =8 NAFTA countries produced only 18 percent of the world's plastic in total, but the equivalent of 132 kg per capita in 2018 - the most plastic per capita, followed by … This has left the government in a major pickle. As exports of plastic waste decline, reports suggest that domestic facilities are struggling to cope with the spiked demand. While this was a lovely gesture, there was one slight issue…. For example, Daiei Kankyo Holdings, a recycling company based in Kobe, is set to open a 1.5 billion yen ($13.8 million) plant in Osaka in 2020. Japan is the second-largest producer of plastic packaging waste per capita (see the UN Environment Programme 2018 report). This measures the overall per capita plastic waste generation rate prior to waste management, recycling or incineration. Restrictions are generally left up to local governments and retailers. But, like in many other countries, the question remains as to how to create real, system-wide change around plastic production and consumption (an integral part of UN Sustainable Development Goal 12). のーぷら No Plastic Japan, MyMizu) and mega-celebrities like Rola using their voice to speak up about the issue. Some companies are quickly making strategic investments into plastic recycling facilities to meet this rising demand. Plastic recycling is generally divided into 3 categories, under current legislation: So, not all of the plastic we meticulously divide and put into the rubbish bin is reborn into new materials. Despite this positive step, Japan continues to be one of the largest producers of plastic waste per capita in the world. A few hours later, I was sat on my living room floor, trying to mentally digest what was going on here… How could it take 5 pieces of packaging (which would take hundreds of years to decompose) to safeguard one, albeit beautiful, strawberry? Here’s how it works. As a result, Japan has had to shift its plastic waste export strategy, by increasing exports to countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam as alternatives. According to a recent United Nations report, plastic use – in particular, disposable bags – has skyrocketed worldwide since the 1950’s. An analysis of per capita plastic waste in the Caribbean, with a focus on causes, impacts and solutions, is a far more enlightening exercise than Asian finger-pointing will ever be. Of that, more than 40 percent is disposable plastic such as packaging and food containers. Japan produces the largest amount of plastic waste per capita after the United States and has lagged behind other countries in curbing the use of plastics. Protection for South Florida’s Water Supply Is Crumbling, How Climate Change Could Starve the Monkeys, Global Climate Action Summit: An Impossible Account of an Incredible Week, 100 Companies Aren’t Solely to Blame for Global Emissions, A View of Extinction Rebellion from the American West. The official “recycling rate” of end-of-life plastics in Japan is 84%. In September 2018, the World Bank announced that our global waste production is predicted to rise by 70 per cent by 2050 unless we take urgent action. In 2018, Japan vowed to reduce its annual 9.4 million tonnes of plastic waste by a quarter by 2030. In fact, according to Statista, Japan produces more plastic per capita — 106 kilos — than China and the rest of Asia combined, at just 94 kilos (note that some of this is produced for export). About 10% of that was shipped to China (70% of Japan’s total exports of plastic waste). Stung by a 2018 report from the U.N. Much of what you buy in supermarkets goes directly into the plastic garbage bin. No Pianos, Pets or Foreigners Book Review, Japan All Over is the dedicated blogging site of JapanVisitor.com. As of fiscal 2017, the recycling rate for PET bottles was 84.8%, among the highest in the world. Only time will tell. That’s a national total of some 30 billion plastic bags, every year. The report also provides data on per-capita plastic waste as well as the amount of plastic litter from coastal populations at high risk of polluting rivers and oceans. Japan uses up to 450 plastic bags per person per year, for a national total of some 30 billion, Japanese media have reported. The official “recycling rate” of end-of-life plastics in Japan is 84%. Japan is notorious for its use of plastic. Recycling Rate: Is It Really 84%? And at a meeting in Osaka last year, leaders from the G20 economies agreed to reduce marine plastic waste. 530 week), social ventures (e.g. In fact, recent reports suggest that the Ministry of Environment will ask municipalities to accept and dispose of industrial plastic waste as an emergency measure. Japan’s plastic consumption is second highest in the world. The world’s per capita leader in volume of disposed plastic is the United States. In 2017, Japan generated 9 million tons of plastic waste. It produces 9 million tons of plastic waste annually, of which 2% is plastic bags. Japan touts an enviable waste-management system, and the government says that 86 per cent of its plastic waste is recycled. Companies like Adidas, Lush and Patagonia are also taking the lead, showing that the private sector will not stand idle as we witness the destruction of the environment through irresponsible consumption habits. Tokyo’s Suginami ward established the first ordinance in Japan promoting a charge on plastic bags. /VCG Photo Japan touts an enviable waste-management system, and the government says that 86 percent of its plastic waste is recycled. Japan is the world’s second-biggest producer of plastic waste per capita behind the United States, and goes through around 9 million tons of plastic waste each year. Waste. Currently, there are roughly 60 countries that ban the importation, the production, and or free distribution of plastic bags. Built-up area and built-up area change in Functional Urban Areas. In 2018, Japan vowed to reduce its annual 9.4 million tonnes of plastic waste by a quarter by 2030. In response to this profligate use of single-use plastics, the Japanese government is facing rising pressure internationally, as well as from the inside, from groups like Greenpeace Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced its goal of getting all retailers to charge a small fee for plastic shopping bags by 2020, whereas places like Kyoto have already implemented legislation requiring large retailers to charge for plastic bags. Of the roughly 80 million tons produced since then, more than 60 million tons has been disposed. From bento boxes to convenience store bags, single-use plastics are ubiquitous in everyday life in Japan. So if during your trip to Japan you find yourself being bombarded with excess packaging, here are some key phrases and tips on how you can cope! Below are seven facts about plastic in Japan that help us to understand the context, challenges and opportunities on the road ahead: Japan is SECOND in the world (after the USA) in terms of plastic packaging waste per capita. But campaigners say Japan – the world’s second-biggest producer of plastic waste per capita after the US – must also do more to deal with the rubbish piling up on its own doorstep. Per Capita Plastic Waste in Japan #2 in World 一 日本一人あたりのプラ廃棄世界第2位. The strawberry was — no joke— wrapped in 5 pieces of plastic. The country used to send 1.5 million tons of … In 2018, Japan’s government unveiled a proposal to reduce the country’s 9.4 million tonnes of plastic waste a year by 25% by 2030. goal of getting all retailers to charge a small fee for plastic shopping bags by 2020, mandatory for retail shops to charge for plastic shopping bags, both Japan and the USA declined to sign the G7 Pact, domestic facilities are struggling to cope, open a 1.5 billion yen ($13.8 million) plant in Osaka in 2020, outright bans of single-use plastics around the world. Japan is the world’s second-biggest producer of plastic waste per capita after the US. … ... Built-up area per capita. Daily plastic waste generation per person, measured in kilograms per person per day. Within 7 years, over 30% of consumers in the area refrained from using plastic bags and that percentage continues to grow, suggesting that the hand of government can make a major impact. Food Waste. That same year (2017), China banned plastic waste imports to reduce pollution from the recycling process. Japan’s plastic footprint is larger than we might think. AD In 2018, Japan vowed to reduce its annual 9.4 million tons of plastic waste by a quarter by 2030. It does not therefore directly indicate the risk of pollution to waterways or marine environments. The future is looking bleak; by 2050, there are predicted to be more plastics in the ocean than fish, and there is mounting evidence that plastics pose serious health risks to humans on a global scale. 1. Data are from 2010. The amount per capita of plastic containers and packages, at over 30 kilograms a year, is only second to that of the US. But the country's own record on single-use plastic is hardly exemplary: Japan generates more plastic packaging waste per capita than any other … Japan All Over is the dedicated blogging site of JapanVisitor.com and offers useful information and services for visitors to Japan. According to a recent United Nations report, plastic use – in particular, disposable bags – has skyrocketed worldwide since the 1950’s. In fact, over half of the plastic that is “recycled” is incinerated. Is the Japanese fruit industry really that fraught with danger? In fact, Forbes Magazine claims that as much as 70% of the plastic collected for recycling in Japan is incinerated. Generation of waste by sector. Convenience stores in Japan still hand out free plastic bags as default unless you explicitly state you don’t need one. As is often in environmental issues, Japan has been slow – and rather timid – in tightening rules on plastic. Most of this waste is generated in Asia, while America, Japan and the European Union are the world’s largest producers of plastic packaging waste per capita. One day, I received an individual strawberry as a gift from someone in Tokyo. Harada said the price should be effective in reining in the use of plastic bags. Exposure to air pollution. Japan produces more plastic packaging waste per capita than any nation apart from the United States. … The average person in Japan buys 183 PET bottles per year. The government has also decided to make it mandatory for retail shops to charge for plastic shopping bags in a bid to reduce waste, although this has yet to be enforced at the national level. So, there is some reason for hope. Only nine per cent of the plastic waste the world has ever produced has been recycled. Japan is the world’s second-highest user per capita of plastic packaging, according to the United Nations Environment Program. 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