Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture - Establishment of Recycle Plaza, June 1995

Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture - Establishment of Recycle Plaza, June 1995

In the mid-1990s, Japan's waste disposal problems were becoming increasingly serious, especially in urban areas. The "Recycling Law" was enacted in 1991, followed by the "Containers and Packaging Recycling Law" in 1995, creating a legal system to raise awareness of "resource recycling" in people's daily lives. Local governments were also making their own efforts in this trend, one of the symbols of which was the opening of the Recycle Plaza in Takamatsu City.

Completed in June 1995, the facility, with a total floor space of 570 m2, was conceived as a place where citizens could learn about and experience the significance of recycling, rather than as a mere waste disposal center. Equipped with a corner where visitors can try their hand at making paper from used paper, exhibits of recycled products, and a learning space, the plaza was designed to help both children and adults develop an awareness of the concept of "waste as a resource" while having fun at the same time.

The background of the project was the "Five-Year Plan for Waste Reduction" and the "Zero Garbage Campaign," which were being promoted nationwide at the time, and Takamatsu City took the form of embodying these at the local level. The facility was a pioneering attempt to shift from administrative leadership to citizen participation, as it served as a center for citizen interaction and collaboration with school education.

This case represents a turning point in the shift from the traditional focus on incineration and landfill to resource recycling and citizen participation, and has had an impact on municipalities throughout Japan as an important step in the formation of a recycling-oriented society.