Is Waste a Resource? - Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Nippon Steel Corporation take on the challenge of creating a "refuse derived fuel" society (RDF) (2001)

Is Waste a Resource? - Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Nippon Steel Corporation take on the challenge of creating a "refuse derived fuel" society (RDF) (2001)

In 2001, Japan's waste management policy was at a major turning point. Financial difficulties following the collapse of the bubble economy and the Dioxin Control Law enacted in 1999 forced municipalities to upgrade their incineration facilities and seek alternatives. Under these circumstances, the use of "refuse derived fuel (RDF)" attracted attention. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Nippon Steel Corporation have teamed up to solidify municipal combustible waste as an energy resource, and have begun a demonstration project to use it as an alternative fuel to coal in blast furnaces at steel mills. This symbolized a shift in values from viewing waste as a "nuisance to be burned" to a "recyclable resource. Although there were challenges, the project was significant as a pioneering step toward the realization of a "resource-recycling society" through collaboration between the city and industry.