Abstract
The Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act of Japan requires municipalities throughout the country to manage the disposal of their own domestic waste. However, there is a significant difference in population sizes among each of the municipalities, and there are also many small towns and villages not necessarily included in the scheme. This study examines the current status of domestic waste disposal carried out by small municipalities in rural areas and also discusses some of the issues they face due to their location. In the case study area of Nagano Prefecture we come to understand that some small municipalities cannot even afford to have an official full-time worker for the management of waste disposal. These small municipalities have been struggling to adjust to a growing need for more sophisticated and diversified waste disposal systems. Many municipalities have had to outsource services such as waste collection, intermediate treatment and final disposal to private entities or joint administrations. In particular, area-wide incineration has become common in more recent years, while final disposal is often entrusted to private landfill sites located outside the prefecture. Waste collection, intermediate treatment and final disposal are being carried out by other entities in order to minimize the level of involvement by municipalities, however this trend may be leading to a sense of vagueness regarding what the responsibilities actually are, as well as creating obstacles to waste reduction and recycling efforts. In recent years, waste disposal services have been greatly improved and made more sophisticated ; it is now necessary to reconsider how domestic waste disposal is being handled in these small municipalities.
