The Shadow of the City Pushed Toward the Sea: Tokyo, 1960–1975 The difficulty in securing final disposal sites stems not only from a lack of land. As the division of labor solidifies—where waste generated daily in the city center is ultimately transported to the city's outskirts for landfill—the distance between the source and disposal sites widens, intensifying the burden imbalance. Transportation becomes longer-distance, increasing costs and traffic burden, while the receiving areas bear the brunt of foul odors, pests, deteriorating landscapes, and anxieties over leachate and gases. Thus, waste is pushed to less visible locations, yet the seeds of conflict spread throughout the entire city.

The Shadow of the City Pushed Toward the Sea: Tokyo, 1960–1975 The difficulty in securing final disposal sites stems not only from a lack of land. As the division of labor solidifies—where waste generated daily in the city center is ultimately transported to the city's outskirts for landfill—the distance between the source and disposal sites widens, intensifying the burden imbalance. Transportation becomes longer-distance, increasing costs and traffic burden, while the receiving areas bear the brunt of foul odors, pests, deteriorating landscapes, and anxieties over leachate and gases. Thus, waste is pushed to less visible locations, yet the seeds of conflict spread throughout the entire city.

During Tokyo's period of rapid economic growth, waste volumes exploded. If incineration facility development couldn't keep pace, the fundamental process of burning to reduce volume before burial breaks down. More waste goes to landfill, rapidly depleting remaining capacity. The underlying structure where delays in facility development and operation easily lead to critical shortages as a social problem remains unchanged. Alongside land scarcity, another major barrier is consensus building. While disposal sites enhance safety through technologies like waterproofing and drainage systems, residents retain the sense that once waste is accepted, it cannot be reversed. Concerns about impacts on water sources, future leakage risks, and reputational damage cannot be dispelled by numerical explanations alone. As opposition intensifies during the candidate site presentation and survey stages, causing plans to stall, requests for extensions and interregional waste transfers become repeti
tive, further amplifying the uneven distribution of the burden.

In Tokyo, this imbalance surfaced around 1971. Koto Ward suffered from foul odors and flies at sites like Yumenoshima, fueling frustration over the lack of progress in local waste processing. Meanwhile, in Suginami Ward, opposition to building a waste incineration plant spread, escalating into the so-called "garbage wars." Tensions rose within the city over the responsibility between disposal sites and waste-generating areas.

In large cities, securing land inland is difficult, making marine disposal sites crucial receptacles. New marine disposal sites were developed in Tokyo Port, implementing temporary measures to extend their lifespan. However, this too was not a permanent solution. The intertwined issues of volume, location, and consensus repeatedly made securing disposal sites difficult. The waste did not disappear from the city; it was merely moved to less visible locations.