Between City and Nature--Utilization Technologies for Final Landfills and Lake Sludge (December 2008)

Between City and Nature--Utilization Technologies for Final Landfills and Lake Sludge (December 2008)

As if in the aftermath of Japan's rapid economic growth, the final disposal sites scattered across the country are approaching their limits. In the 2008 Environmental Business Report, we introduce some specific examples of "revitalization" efforts. The 2008 Environmental Business Report introduces specific efforts toward this "revitalization" through a number of advanced case studies.

Particularly noteworthy is a technology that attempts to make use of bottom sediment deposited in lakes and marshes - an entity that at first glance has been considered a nuisance - for agricultural purposes. This sludge is rich in humus and minerals, and can be converted into high-quality soil for rice paddies if it undergoes appropriate treatment. The attempt to reuse the sludge as a soil conditioner is not just a "treatment," but a reintegration of the sludge into the natural material cycle. This is the moment when the improvement of the lake environment and the restoration of agricultural lands - the two forms of restoration - are connected by a single line.

At the same time, "recycling" of the final disposal site itself is progressing. This is an effort to reconfigure the former waste terminus into a resource recycling facility and a place for environmental education. For example, after stabilizing the landfill site, solar power generation facilities can be installed, or the ground can be greened while maintaining structural safety and transformed into a park that can be used by local residents. These are not mere beautification, but steps toward an "open landfill" as proof of coexistence with the local community.

Such technological and social integration signifies a reorganization of the relationship between the city and nature that goes beyond the mere dimension of waste disposal. Instead of the conventional structure of exploiting nature and concentrating it in cities, we are moving toward a system of circulation in which nature and cities regenerate together and support each other. Final disposal sites and lake sediments - they are both a debt to the past and a resource for the future. In this area where technology, ethics, and imagination intersect, a new form of circulation is quietly budding.