The period when waste plastics lost their way Late 1990s to 2000s

The period when waste plastics lost their way Late 1990s to 2000s

The problem of the environmental burden caused by the stagnation of waste plastic disposal is not simply the failure of a single technology. It was an event that quietly exposed the distortions in the industrial structure and environmental policies of Japanese society from the late 1990s to the 2000s.

Since Japan's period of rapid economic growth, the top priority in Japan has been how to reduce the amount of waste plastic. In a society based on mass production and mass consumption, waste was a nuisance to be disposed of, and the idea of recycling it again as a resource was peripheral. The dioxin problem led to the development of more sophisticated incinerators, and at the same time, the term "recycling" was placed at the center of the system. However, this did not necessarily mean a recycling-oriented society.

The processing expanded under the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law was formally recycling, but it often involved the use of low-quality recycled materials and heat recovery. Even if the recycling rate was maintained as a figure, whether or not resources were truly being recycled was another matter.

In such a situation, the oil conversion technology that converts waste plastic back into oil attracted much anticipation. In theory, it was a dream technology that could produce an alternative resource to petroleum, and municipalities and companies set up demonstration plants one after another. The reality, however, was harsh. The accuracy of sorting was not stable, and it was difficult to secure processing volumes. The quality and sales channels for the oil produced were also limited, and above all, the cost of processing was heavy. When the price of crude oil fell, economic rationality was quickly lost, and businesses dependent on subsidies and municipal contracts could no longer sustain themselves.

As a result, businesses dependent on subsidies and municipal contracts could no longer sustain themselves. The more limited the processing routes, the more municipalities and waste producers are forced to place the highest priority on cost. As a result, cheaper and more environmentally friendly methods were chosen, and reliance on simple volume reduction by incineration and final disposal was once again strengthened.

What emerged at the end of this trend was a tightening of final disposal sites. Once a landfill site is used, it is irreversible and has a long-term impact on the surrounding environment. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to reach a consensus on the location of a new landfill, and over time the problem will be forced on future generations.

The essence of the stagnation in waste plastic disposal is not the immaturity of the technology itself. The core of the problem lies in the fact that in the short-term cost competition, the environmental impact was not properly evaluated and reflected in the price. If left to market principles, the more environmentally friendly but expensive methods are more likely to be eliminated. As a result, even though recycling appeared to be progressing institutionally, the actual resource cycle was quietly breaking down. This paradox demonstrates the limitations of Japan's environmental policy at the time, and at the same time casts a long shadow that is linked to the current plastics problem.