Is Japan recycling enough plastic waste?

According to a 2018 report issued by the Ministry of Environment, 25% of Japan’s plastic waste is recycled. 57% goes through thermal recycling, which involves incinerating the waste to produce heat and electricity. Another 18% is either incinerated or sent to landfills. Of Japan’s plastic recycling volume, 65% used to be sent to China.

However, China decided to stop accepting plastic trash in 2018. Japan is now seeking practical ways to achieve its goal of reducing single-use plastic by 25% by 2030. Japan generates approximately 9 million metric tons of plastic waste annually and currently ranks as the second-largest generator of plastic packaging waste per capita behind the United States.

In July 2020, retailers across Japan, including convenience stores and supermarkets, started charging for plastic bags. More than 80% of plastic waste is generated by corporations and therefore considered industrial waste. Furthermore, the Cabinet recently approved a bill to request large corporations to collect the used plastic products themselves from April 2022. The bill will promote a range of new measures to increase recycling and reduce plastic waste, including asking dining establishments to review their use of disposable food utensils.