Abstract
Enhancing renewable energy using regional resources such as biomass has become a top priority for the Japanese government following the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear power accident. In this regard, the government has compiled The Biomass Industrialization Strategy in order to develop a biomass industry and enhance renewable energy with the targeted biomass and related technologies, which include methane fermentation & composting, combustion and solid-fuel conversion as well as woody biomass, food waste, sewage sludge and animal waste.
The total amount of food waste accounts for about 18 million tons per annum, of which 80 % goes to landfill and incineration. Around 5-8 million tons of this is food that is still edible but has nonetheless been discarded as so-called “Food Loss.” This article outlines and reports on The Biomass Industrialization Strategy and the current status of ‘Food Waste’ in Japan.
