Fostering a Sound Material-cycle Society with Regard to General Waste Management : The Role of Prefectural Governments

Abstract

In Japan, management of general waste comes under the affairs of the municipal government, and municipalities are also responsible for the recovery of any resources contained within the waste.
As resources that are recovered are then circulated over a wide area, it is important for the prefectural governments to play a key role in connecting regional material-cycles with the inter-regional ones. New policies, which include the establishment of new recycling systems, should be taken into consideration for the development of a Sound Material-cycle Society in each municipality.