Refusal to Landfill Garbage Incinerator Ash - Mie Prefecture, June 2004

Refusal to Landfill Garbage Incinerator Ash - Mie Prefecture, June 2004
In 2004, the presence of toxic substances, especially heavy metals and dioxin, in incinerator ash from waste incineration facilities in Mie Prefecture was a major social problem. A plan to bury these incinerator ashes at an industrial waste disposal site in the prefecture was proposed, but was strongly opposed by local residents and municipalities. The residents objected to the landfill disposal, citing the opaqueness of the disposal process, the unclear nature of the contract, and the lack of accountability of the operator. In particular, there were deep-seated concerns about water pollution and the impact on groundwater, and the local community campaigned against the project through explanatory meetings and referendums. The background to this was the dioxin contamination problem that began to spread across the country in the late 1990s. Tighter guidelines from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and the Ministry of the Environment have required local governments and
private companies to review their treatment methods and disclose information. The Mie Prefecture case drew national attention at the time as a typical example of the intersection between ensuring the credibility of waste administration and the safety awareness of local residents. In an era when the "invisible harm" caused by incineration has become a concern for society as a whole, the case highlighted the attitude of residents to protect their own environment and health.