Issues Beyond Scrap Iron: The Debate over the Automobile Recycling Law, 2001

Issues Beyond Scrap Iron: The Debate over the Automobile Recycling Law, 2001

Around 2001, about 4 million end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) were generated annually in Japan, and their disposal was a serious environmental problem. Of particular concern was the ASR (shredder dust) that remains after vehicles are dismantled and crushed. The mixture of glass, fiber, plastic, and other materials was difficult to recycle and had to be buried in final disposal sites. Approximately 500,000 tons are generated annually throughout Japan, making disposal sites tight and environmental pollution a major issue. Against this backdrop, the government promoted the enactment of the Automobile Recycling Law.

The aim of the law was to increase the recycling rate and reduce waste, but the biggest point of contention centered on "who should bear the cost burden. Automobile manufacturers insisted on paying the recycling fee in advance when purchasing a new car, in an attempt to avoid concentrating the burden at the time of disposal. On the other hand, used car dealers and dismantling companies argued that users should pay the fee at the time of scrapping, and the industry continued to play games. Shredders also complained about the difficulty of ASR processing, and they sought to introduce new technologies or to use ASR as a raw material for cement, but they could not dispel the question of whether this was really possible.

At the time, the Basic Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society and the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol were coming into effect, making it inevitable that a recycling system would be put in place. However, municipal landfills were strained and it was difficult to secure new ones, so the problem had to wait. The debate over the Automobile Recycling Law went beyond mere industry coordination and became a touchstone for the question of whether Japanese society could break away from mass production and mass disposal. The law was eventually passed in 2002 and went into effect in 2005, but the discussions on the eve of the law's enactment were tense, like a conversation between industry, government, and citizens.