The Processing of Post-Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster Waste in the Watari Area of Miyagi Prefecture

Abstract

In its wake, the Great East Japan Earthquake that hit on 11 March 2012 left 536,000 tons of post-disaster debris and 500,000 m³ of tsunami sediment in the town of Watari in Japan′s Miyagi Prefecture. Based on government policy stating that all waste is required to be disposed of within three years of the disaster, waste disposal servicing here must be completed by the end of March, 2014. In addition, landfill volumes must be kept to a minimum. This further requires special recycling service throughout the disposal process. This report gives an overview of the disposal flow and disaster waste separation treatment facilities that have been implemented to bring about successful improvements from the design stage to the disposal stage.