The "take-back" issue of used cardboard boxes - maintaining public collection routes and conflict of interest (2001)

The "take-back" issue of used cardboard boxes - maintaining public collection routes and conflict of interest (2001)

In 2001, Japan's recycling system was in a transitional stage. While citizens were becoming more conscious of sorting and the collection of resources by local governments was being institutionalized, the rising value of recovered paper as a "resource" was creating new friction. In particular, used cardboard boxes were fetching high prices, and the unauthorized removal of such paper by private companies from local collection centers was becoming a problem throughout Japan. Municipalities have been facing a decline in the amount of paper collected and profits from its sale, as they consider this to be an "infringement on their property. The legal ambiguity as to when and to whose property the resources generated by citizens became was also at the root of the problem. This issue went beyond the mere merits of illegal activities, and became an important opportunity to question the division of roles between the public and private sectors and the institutional design of a resource-
recycling society. The era was one in which the recycling system was under pressure to be reconstructed, as various regions began to explore the possibility of enacting ordinances, forming models based on agreements, and so on.