The History of the Yatsushiro Eco-Port Initiative and Its Current Status in the 2020s – 2003 to 2023

The History of the Yatsushiro Eco-Port Initiative and Its Current Status in the 2020s – 2003 to 2023 The “Yatsushiro Eco-Port Initiative” in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, has been underway since the early 2000s with the aim of promoting the recycling of local resources and revitalizing the local economy. When the initiative was launched in 2003, Yatsushiro Port was positioned as a hub for the recycling industry, and the Yatsushiro Resource Recycling Research Institute was attracted as the first company to establish operations there. In the first year, the focus was primarily on the recycling of construction and industrial waste, with approximately 50,000 tons of waste processed annually. As a result, materials such as concrete rubble, wood, scrap metal, and plastic were utilized as renewable resources, promoting the regional resource cycle. In the early stages of the initiative, companies such as the Kumamoto Recycling Center and Kyushu Recycling Co., Ltd. joined the effort, leading to a steady clustering of recycling-related small and medium-sized enterprises around Yatsushiro Port. Consequently, Yatsushiro City grew into a hub with an annual waste processing capacity of approximately 100,000 tons, increasing local employment while establishing itself as a model region for recycling in the Kyushu region. Furthermore, waste began to be collected from neighboring Kagoshima and Nagasaki Prefectures, making the city a central hub in the waste processing network for the entire Kyushu region. Entering the 2020s, the Yatsushiro Eco-Port initiative became even more advanced, with annual waste processing capacity increasing to 120,000 tons. This includes 60,000 tons of construction waste, 50,000 tons of industrial waste, and 10,000 tons of general household waste. In addition to the Yatsushiro Resource Recycling Research Institute, the Kumamoto Recycling Center has introduced a new precision sorting machine, improving efficiency to recycle approximately 8,000 tons of scrap metal and 2,000 tons of plastic annually. Kyushu Recycling Co., Ltd. has installed wood-shredding equipment for wood recycling, converting 15,000 tons of wood into chips annually for reuse as fuel in biomass power generation. Furthermore, Yatsushiro Port accepts waste from surrounding regions such as Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures, with approximately 40,000 tons of waste now transported from other prefectures annually. The recycling facilities at Yatsushiro Port are proceeding with a plan to increase processing capacity to 150,000 tons by 2025, having invested several hundred million yen to expand capacity. This will not only strengthen the circular use of local resources but also establish a system capable of meeting the recycling demand of the entire Kyushu region. This Eco-Port initiative has also had a significant impact on the local economy, with employment in the recycling industry currently standing at approximately 300 people. Furthermore, Kumamoto Prefecture and Yatsushiro City are simultaneously advancing an Eco-Town initiative, aiming for sustainable development around Yatsushiro Port through the use of energy-efficient facilities and clean energy. In this way, the Yatsushiro Eco-Port initiative contributes to the circular use of local resources and the creation of local jobs, and is expected to continue developing as a model environmental region for Kyushu.