Citizens' Circle Spreads to Teganuma and Inba-numa, Chiba Prefecture: The Era of the Waste Oil Collection Movement to Protect the Two Lakes (Late 1980s - 1990s)

Citizens' Circle Spreads to Teganuma and Inba-numa, Chiba Prefecture: The Era of the Waste Oil Collection Movement to Protect the Two Lakes (Late 1980s - 1990s)
Teganuma and Obanuma in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture used to be lakes and marshes that nurtured the suigo culture, but after the rapid economic growth, they became eutrophic due to the inflow of domestic wastewater, and in the 1970s they were regarded as symbols of water pollution in the country. The abnormal proliferation of algae, the foul odor, and the decline of the fishing industry had a serious impact on the local lifestyle, and citizens began to develop an awareness of the need to protect their own lakes.

Against this backdrop, a citizens' group started a voluntary collection of household waste cooking oil in 1985. At the time, waste oil was being dumped into drains, creating an oil slick in the lake and increasing the load on sewage treatment. The movement was unique in that the citizens took action before government measures were in place.

The collected waste oil was processed into soap and returned to the citizens. The movement developed into a citizens' movement symbolized by the phrase, "Aiming for a town of soap.

From the late 1980s to the 1990s, the pollution caused by synthetic detergents was discussed, and measures against domestic wastewater became a priority policy of the government.