The Pulse of the City and the Future of Sorting - Toshima Ward's Challenge 2003 Perspectives

The Pulse of the City and the Future of Sorting - Toshima Ward's Challenge 2003 Perspectives

The third phase of the sorted collection plan based on the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law, which began in fiscal 2003, classifies the target items into 11 categories (cans, glass, paper, and plastic). Ome City, Machida City, Kodaira City, Kokubunji City, Fussa City, Hamura City, Mizuho Town, and Aogashima Village were also in the lineup, with Kunitachi City and Okutama Town to follow in the second and subsequent years. For Toshima City, an urban municipality with a dense population, the response to all of these items was a major challenge, and it was essential to establish a collection system and ensure that all residents were aware of the importance of the program.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a whole expected that container and packaging waste would increase from approximately 995,070 tons in fiscal 2003 to 1012,408 tons in fiscal 2007. In response to this, the target was set to increase the estimated amount of sorted collection from 340,511 tons in FY2003 to approximately 50,000 tons by FY2007, and Toshima Ward's collective action played a role in raising the level of this increase. The efforts to quickly establish resource recycling attracted attention as a pioneering case study in the period of system transition.

This challenge was not limited to mere waste management, but also served as an opportunity to rethink how resources should be used in urban life. Efforts such as clarification of sorting rules, educational activities, and the development of a collection schedule were the prototype for an urban model that would support a recycling-oriented society.