Green Circulation in the City - Pruning Branch Recycling Project by Hanafutoyo Landscaping, Kyoto (October 2002)

Green Circulation in the City - Pruning Branch Recycling Project by Hanafutoyo Landscaping, Kyoto (October 2002)

In the early 2000s, Japanese society was rapidly strengthening its environmental policies with the goal of transitioning to a recycling-oriented society, and against the backdrop of dioxin regulations and revisions to the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law that had been in effect since the late 1990s, the recycling of organic waste such as pruning branches and logging materials that had previously been incinerated as "garbage" began to attract attention. The recycling of organic waste such as pruning branches and logging timber, which had been incinerated as "garbage," began to attract attention.

Against this backdrop, Hanafutoyo Landscaping, a landscaping contractor in Kyoto City, installed a new small-scale facility on its premises in October 2002, capable of processing approximately 300 tons of pruning branches per year. The facility had a system for accepting woody waste from pruning of gardens at public facilities and private homes, and recycling it by chipping and composting. In the past, prunings would have been sent to an incineration plant for disposal, but the company has made a major shift toward utilizing them as a resource.

Of the recycled chips, approximately 210 tons were provided to nearby fruit farmers for use as agricultural compost and mulch. The remaining approximately 90 tons were reused in the company's landscaping operations, where they are used to improve grassland soil and as materials for green space maintenance. These efforts not only reduced waste, but also built a new model of cooperation between local agriculture and the landscaping industry, contributing to the circulation of the local economy.

At the time, the major issues in the disposal of pruning branches were the increased cost and environmental impact of incineration. As a result of stricter dioxin control measures, the burning of pruning branches in the field was banned in principle, forcing many municipalities and businesses to review their disposal methods. In this context, the establishment of a community-based resource recycling system by a small- to medium-sized company such as Hanafutoyo Landscaping attracted attention as an example of the implementation of environmental measures at the field level.

In addition, the company acquired ISO 14001 certification in 2003 and began business operations that incorporate international standards for environmental management. This series of initiatives was a pioneering example of the possibility of "green circulation" linking urban and rural areas, businesses and local residents. The company's practice of converting the problem of disposing of pruning branches in urban areas into the utilization of local resources has since become a model for small-scale recycling facilities throughout Japan.