Environment The Order of Circulation Built from the Local Community: The Concept of Iwate Prefecture's "Recycling-Oriented Society Ordinance" 2002

Environment The Order of Circulation Built from the Local Community: The Concept of Iwate Prefecture's "Recycling-Oriented Society Ordinance" 2002

In 2002, following the enactment of the Basic Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society in Japan, efforts to reduce waste and promote resource recycling were spreading throughout the country. With the Kyoto Protocol coming into effect and the prevention of global warming and the efficient use of resources becoming issues, Iwate Prefecture considered its own "Ordinance on the Formation of a Recycling-Oriented Society" (tentative name). This was a pioneering attempt to institutionalize a recycling-oriented society at the local level and drew nationwide attention.

The main pillar of the ordinance concept was to promote proper disposal and recycling of industrial waste. At the time, illegal dumping and improper disposal were becoming social problems, and the prefecture, in cooperation with the Industrial Waste Association, sought to increase transparency by establishing a registration system for contractors. This was an attempt to eliminate malicious contractors and establish a system to foster trustworthy contractors.

In addition, a new "training center" was planned to provide training in treatment technology and human resource development to help small and medium-sized contractors improve their technical capabilities. The vast prefectural land area of Iwate places a heavy burden on waste transportation, and the establishment of a recycling-oriented treatment network in each region was directly linked to sustainability.

Iwate Prefecture's ordinance concept was not just a matter of tightening regulations, but a challenge to "create order" that would shape a recycling-oriented society throughout the region. This attitude of establishing a system and structure from the local level was an important step in laying the foundation for a sustainable society in the Japanese society of that time.