Taking waste recycling to another level
Once blanketed by smog, a Japanese industrial city has become the benchmark for sustainable development, writes Patpon Sabpaitoon
Walking on any street in Japan, one can see the noticeable absence of rubbish on its well-kept streets. Unsurprising, perhaps, as the Japanese society understands the importance of recycling — its citizens are very strict in separating recyclables from general waste — and it is gradually transforming into a recycling-oriented society.
But at Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture, recycling is taken to another level. The city of about one million people, which is home to a wide range of industries which includes manufacturing, automotive, electrical components, and energy, aims to create a green society that promotes sustainable growth based on the concept of zero emissions. Ultimately, it aims to reduce its rate of waste generation to zero.
The city’s push to reduce its waste generation began in the 1960s. Kitakyushu was often covered by smog, and at one stage was even known for the rainbow-coloured smoke that billowed out of the chimneys of factories in its industrial area.
Having had enough of the pollution, a group of concerned housewives set out to press local businesses to go green. Thanks to the collective effort of local stakeholders, the city transformed into an environmentally-sound city that prides itself on being a green society where its citizens can coexist peacefully with nature.
The philosophy behind it is simple. Industry-generated waste are used as raw materials by other industries, which reduces the quantity of waste emitted, which in turn helps Kitakyushu realise its zero-emission goals.
With that goal in mind, the city government — with the approval of the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry — established Kitakyushu Eco-town Centre, which is now home to seven recycling facilities.
The facilities, which are capable of processing PET bottles, office equipment, automobiles, household appliances, fluorescent lights, medical equipment, and construction waste, are mostly funded by large companies that are based in Kitakyushu.
Although there are 16 other eco-town projects across Japan, Kitakyushu Eco-town Centre is the largest ecotown project in the country. Approved in 1997, this is the first green city in Asia that aspires to be a research base to find solutions to the region’s environmental and energy problems.
The project gained international recognition when the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) selected the city as a model for green growth in 2011, alongside Paris, Chicago, and Stockholm. Boasting a total of 29 business facilities and 16 research facilities, Kitakyushu Eco-town Centre is a not only a centre for recycling. It is also a place to learn about recycling and green technologies, as well as the centre’s ongoing efforts on conservation.
Kitakyushu Eco-town Centre provides a platform that offers training for representatives from developing countries who are interested in adapting clean technology and waste-recycling services. The goal is to help other countries form and implement policies that are based on the best practices of waste recycling and integrated waste management.
Representatives of Thailand’s Ministry of Industry visited Kitakyushu Eco-town in 2013, and have since developed 15 eco-towns based on Japan’s Kitakyushu model in 15 provinces which are heavily reliant on industry, such as Rayong, Samut Prakan and Chon Buri.
According to staff at Kitakyushu Eco-town Centre, there are five factors that determine the success of eco-towns and other recycling businesses in general — namely, the volume and consistency of recyclable waste, the availability of recycling technologies, having a market for recycled materials, a well-developed, largevolume waste collection system, and a final disposal site.
Kitakyushu’s recycling ecosystem is developed and sustainable because the city has a consistent supply of recyclable materials from the city’s many industries, which generates almost half of the volume of waste generated by the entire prefecture of Fukuoka, said the staff member.
However, engagement and partnership with local citizens are also required to transform the society to a recycling-oriented society.
People have to be consciously aware of their activities and actively reduce the amount of waste they generate, which in turn will help increase the demand for recycled products, said the staff member.
As such, many provinces in Thailand have the potential to become environmentally friendly eco-towns despite being located in industrial areas, if the example of Kitakyushu Eco-town Centre is followed.
People have to be consciously aware of their activities and actively reduce the amount of waste they generate.