Abstract
The total amount of plastic waste generated in Japan in 2015 was said to be 9.15 million tons; 18.7% of which was derived from electronic waste. Electronic waste is increasingly becoming a more serious problem throughout the world, and in Japan items subject to the social system are limited and fall under the Home Appliance Recycling Law or the Small Home Appliances Recycling Law. On the other hand, in the EU, each country has a responsibility to collect all types of electronic waste under the WEEE directive. Although social systems in Japan and the EU differ on several points such as their background, number of items and fees, the problems relating to plastic waste treatment are something we both have in common. More electronic waste must be retrieved in collection systems in order to achieve the goal of creating a circular society. In this paper, the social systems for electronic waste treatment applied in Japan and the EU are compared with a focus on plastic recycling systems.
