Minato Ward Shinbori Transfer Station Well, you see, there's this place called the "Shinbori Transfer Station" in Minato Ward. It's a collection point for bulky waste. I sort of went there, or rather, just passed by it. There's a photo of it on the Minato Ward website, and just from that photo, I thought it might be a pretty large collection site. But when I actually saw it while passing by, it turned out to be a fairly small facility.

Minato Ward Shinbori Transfer Station Well, you see, there's this place called the "Shinbori Transfer Station" in Minato Ward. It's a collection point for bulky waste. I sort of went there, or rather, just passed by it. There's a photo of it on the Minato Ward website, and just from that photo, I thought it might be a pretty large collection site. But when I actually saw it while passing by, it turned out to be a fairly small facility.

You can't tour it, so I only passed by three or four times, but it seemed smaller than I'd imagined. I think it's near Shiba Park and the Shiba-Koen subway station – right in the heart of the city. It's close to Tokyo Tower, along the circular line. My first impression was, "Why is it here?" The transfer station just seems to appear out of nowhere. However, bulky waste itself doesn't emit a strong foul odor, so maybe the location works.

At this transfer station, bulky waste is sorted into combustible and non-combustible categories. After being pressed here and separated, it's sent to the Central Breakwater Outer Reclamation Disposal Site or the New Marine Disposal Site. I visited in the morning, and from what I could see, it didn't seem very active; it looked somewhat empty.

While Minato Ward has a trendy image, seeing such a facility in the city center felt like glimpsing the hidden side of the metropolis. The Central Breakwater Outer Landfill Disposal Site and the New Marine Disposal Site are apparently operated as a set. The previous disposal site filled up, so this new one was developed offshore. Both are final disposal areas and are generally not open for public viewing.

Initially, it was said to have "another 30 years" of life, but through efforts like promoting recycling, it's thought there's a possibility of extending that to "another 50 years." However, that could also be interpreted as meaning it "only has another 50 years left." Furthermore, if sea levels rise by 30 to 60 centimeters due to global warming, it will require raising the seawalls and reinforcing the drainage pumps and floodgates. Even if the processing capacity itself can be maintained, the burden of infrastructure upkeep will undoubtedly increase. Conditions could become even more severe after 2080. The probability of a major earthquake occurring within the next 50 years is also said to be high, and global warming will continue. The disposal sites will reach their limits. Considering this, the current form of Tokyo as a megacity may not necessarily be sustainable.

In the 1970s, an engineer-turned-economist reportedly stated, "Humanity will not perish from energy or resource shortages, but from waste." If that was a discussion from the 1970s, then precisely 100 years later, in the latter half of this century, those words could very well become a reality. It gave me pause.