Nagoya - Industrial City and the Challenge of a Recycling-Oriented Society - Perspectives from 2002

Nagoya - Industrial City and the Challenge of a Recycling-Oriented Society - Perspectives from 2002

In 2002, Nagoya was one of the largest industrial cities in Japan, centering on the automobile industry. The structure of mass production and mass consumption that has continued since the period of high economic growth has produced a large amount of waste, leading to a shortage of final disposal sites and an increase in illegal dumping. In the background, the Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-based Society (enacted in 2000) required municipalities to reduce waste and institutionalize recycling, and Nagoya City also considered the formulation of an ordinance in response to this trend.

The discussion focused on the promotion of industrial waste recycling and the advancement of treatment technologies. In the automotive industry in particular, recycling technologies for steel, aluminum, copper, and plastic materials were attracting attention, and the recycling of shredder dust from dismantled vehicles was also an issue. This trend was a pioneering discussion that led to the Automobile Recycling Law (enacted in 2005), which would later become widely used. In addition, the development of sorting and heat treatment technologies was promoted in response to the increase in the use of electronic devices and composite materials.

In addition, the city considered a system to ensure the prevention of illegal dumping and restoration of the status quo. In addition to strengthening the monitoring system, the city discussed a proposal to fund disposal costs to enable rapid restoration to their original state, with the aim of ensuring transparency and fairness in waste disposal. This clarified the responsibility of the industry, and a mechanism was sought to gain the trust of citizens.

At the time, the City of Nagoya's stance was to go beyond pollution control and adopt a strategy of balancing "resource recycling" with economic growth. Because Nagoya is a city with a strong automotive industry, centered on Toyota, it was necessary to position recycling as a growth industry and incorporate environmental policies into city management. This attempt was noted as an advanced example of a regional metropolis in the early 2000s, and presented a new image of a city that sought to harmonize the environment and the economy.