A BRIEF SUMMARY OF TOKYO’S WASTE SITUATION:

CURRENT SITUATION
Tokyo is a global megacity with an area that covers some 2,194 km² and houses 14 million
residents, making it the largest city in the world in terms of population. The central area of
the 23 wards (districts) spreads over 627 km² and houses over 9 million residents, making it a
highly dense area comparable to New York City and Paris.

The urban setting contributes to a high amount of consumption and waste. The 23 wards
generate a total of around 3 million tons of municipal solid waste each year. This amounts to
about 7.4 Tokyo Domes. About 70% of this waste comes from households, while the other
30% comes from shops/offices.

Each person in Tokyo generates close to 1 kg of waste every day. The amount of municipal
solid waste in Tokyo reached its peak in 1989 at 4.9 million tones and has decreased to
around 3 million tones today thanks to rising awareness and government initiatives. However,
much more can be done.

 IMPORTING FOOD WASTE

In Japan, it is custom to say “Itadakimasu” before eating and “Gochisosama” after eating to
show your gratitude towards agricultural products and farmers. It has also historically been
considered a courtesy and a virtue to finish every dish that is served at the table.

However, in Reality, 1.3 billion tons of edible food is still wasted annually. In bustling
Tokyo, industrial food waste from restaurants reaches up to 980 thousand tons annually,
while households are responsible for 990 thousand tones.

Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate is approx. 66%, but if you look at Tokyo, this number drops
to only 3%. There is a contradiction baked into Tokyo’s food system, where we import large
amounts of food from outside the city, yet we throw them away without consuming them.

 THE SECOND LARGEST CONSUMER OF PLASTIC

Japan's domestic consumption of plastic products reaches up to10.12 million tons per year.
The amount of plastic packaging waste produced is second only to the United States, at a
massive 35 kg per capita (2017). Until recently, most of this waste was exported to China for
disposal. But since 2018, China and other Asian countries have begun to restrict imports, and
waste plastic is now piling up at waste disposal plants all over Japan.

In recent years, the problem of micro plastics flowing into Tokyo Bay has also emerged.
There have been reports that micro plastics have actually been detected in the bodies of fish
swimming in Tokyo Bay. We are now faced with the difficult task of securing disposal sites
while reducing consumption.
 Figure 1: PLASTIC PACKAGING WASTE GENERATION, 2014 (million Mt).

List of Institutes in Tokyo for waste management:

Institutes Location Revenue ($M)

MITSUBISHI HEAVY Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, $35,167.99M

INDUSTRIES, LTD. Japan
FUJITSU LIMITED Minato-ku, Tokyo, $34,120.12M
Japan
NEC CORPORATION Minato-ku, Tokyo, $28,458.19M
Japan
SECOM CO., LTD Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, $9,846.21M
Japan
TAIHEIYO CEMENT Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, $8,211.40M
CORPORATION Japan

HITACHI TRANSPORT Chuo-ku, Tokyo, $6,200.87M

SYSTEM, LTD. Japan

SANKYU INC. Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan $5,074.43M

Collection and Transportation of Waste:

The expansion of urban areas widens the garbage collection zone. It is possible to improve
the efficiency of collection and transport operations in cities with widening collection zones
by setting up waste transfer stations where wastes can be transferred from small- or medium-
sized garbage trucks to larger trucks. Improving the efficiency of collection and transport
leads to cost reduction while maintaining or improving services to residents.
1. Domestic Case:
The transfer station method commonly adopted in Japan is the compactor container
transfer station shown below.

2. Overseas Case:
Some Japanese enterprises have established joint ventures in China with high
achievements in the production and sale of transfer stations. Some also sell them to other
Asian countries.
Incineration Technology in Japan, Tokyo:
Japan is a leader in the construction and management of incinerators, realizing incineration
treatment of waste with its world-class standard of technology to dispose of from low-calorie
to high-calorie garbage.