Container and Packaging Recycling Law and China's Black Hole - Globalization and Institutional Fatigue (Early 2000s)

Container and Packaging Recycling Law and China's Black Hole - Globalization and Institutional Fatigue (Early 2000s)

In 2000, Japan's Containers and Packaging Recycling Law and other legal systems aimed at creating a recycling-oriented society were put in place, but soon after, the rapid growth of China shook the system. China's enormous demand for resources changed the recyclables sorted in Japan from "trash" to "commodities," leaving only unsold items and costs in Japan. The Containers and Packaging Recycling Law imposes a particularly heavy burden on municipalities, and while Germany has a "parallel dual system," Japan has a "serial system," which causes double transportation and cost problems. Some municipalities began boycotting the system amid system fatigue, and the system was losing credibility. This is a typical example of the gap between ideals and reality, between the domestic system and the international economy.