Example of Waste Utilization in Matsuyama City - November 2006

Example of Waste Utilization in Matsuyama City - November 2006

In Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, a local company, Fuji Construction Co., Ltd. is taking the lead in promoting recycling-oriented agriculture that makes effective use of waste. Specifically, wood waste and concrete chips generated from construction sites, as well as branches and leaves of trees that have been cut down, are being reused. These are crushed, fermented, and put into farmland as humus and compost, resulting in the recycling of 120 tons of waste materials per year. This initiative has reduced waste disposal costs by about 35%, with annual cost savings amounting to about 15 million yen.

Farmers in Matsuyama City have successfully used recycled compost to produce Ehime mandarin oranges, a specialty product. By using this compost, the use of chemical fertilizers has been reduced by 50%, and the sugar content of the mandarin oranges has increased by an average of 2 degrees. Furthermore, disease outbreaks have been reduced, and harvest volume has increased by 20% compared to the same period last year. As a result, the brand value of Ehime tangerines has improved, and "Ehime tangerines" are now highly rated in high-end department stores in the Kanto and Kansai regions.

Furthermore, Matsuyama City is strengthening cooperation with Imabari City and Niihama City in order to spread its successful waste reuse practices to other municipalities. In addition, the project has been adopted by the Ministry of the Environment's "Basic Plan for the Promotion of Establishing a Recycling-based Society," and is expected to be expanded to other regions in the future. Fuji Construction plans to increase the amount of waste recycled to 200 tons per year by 2020, raising the overall waste reduction rate in Matsuyama City to 15%.

In this way, Matsuyama City's efforts are attracting national attention as a model case for balancing environmental conservation and economic benefits.