Kamikatsu-cho Zero Waste Program Declaration

Preamble

In accordance with directives issued by Tokushima Prefecture that were based on amendments to the Waste Management Law introduced in 1997, Kamikatsu-cho established the No. 1 East Block Greater Regional Waste Processing Council together with Komatsushima City and 5 towns of the Katsumyo district in 2001. While the association has been conducting studies on building a large (100 ton per day) state-of-the-art waste disposal facility, it has made very little progress to actual implementation.

Assuming that the waste processing facility commissioned to the five townships and the Komatsushima City is eventually completed, the cost of operating and administrating the incineration facilities and gasification furnace would be enormous. Moreover, construction of such a facility goes against the Basic Law for Establishing the Recycling-based Society introduced in 2000. It is also clear that as waste is increasingly recycled there will be less waste available for incineration in future years the facility would not be financially viable.

A municipal landfill Site of 3.36ha in size was secured in the Ohaza-Fukuhara in the Kamikatsu-cho area normally referred to as Kageki area in 2000. However, due to the formidable cost of constructing and operating such a site, Kamikatsu-cho postponed the construction for a while and opted to participate in the Tokushima Prefecture East Area Seafront Landfill Measures Council for the 2nd Stage Expansion of the Matsushige Airport Construction Periphery Area Development Project. The total construction costs for this landfill site, currently underway for completion in 2006, that Tokushima Prefecture and 16 municipalities surrounding Tokushima City will be entitled to use, comes to 13.9 billion Japanese Yen. After completion, the Tokushima Prefecture Environmental Management Corporation will be commissioned with the task of operating and administrating the facility, with the cost of operation to be shared by the prefecture and various municipalities in accordance with the volume of waste disposed of.

It is also clear that, even if completed, the Tokushima Prefecture East Area Seafront Landfill site would only be available for use for ten years between 2007 and 2016. After that, a new site would have to be found.

The national government is currently promoting the creation of "environmentally sustainable societies" as the primary step toward reducing waste output. Nevertheless, traditional waste incineration oriented policies are still being implemented. In 2000, the year that the Basic Plan was introduced, a total of \650 billion was spent on constructing and renovating waste disposal facilities consisting mainly of incinerators and landfill sites. Roughly \190 billion of this figure came from government subsidies provided by the Ministry of the Environment itself. In addition, incinerating waste at the high temperature (800��) specified by the government and operating waste gasification furnaces and RDF power generation plant would go against the Kyoto Protocol instituted by many nations in the world to curb global warming. It became obvious that new approaches to the problem would have to be adopted as soon as possible.

The tendency to build and become dependent on facilities such as incinerators is contributing to such major problems as environmental pollution, growing anxiety among residents and an enormous burden on regional government budgets. These expensive waste disposal facilities only encourage increased waste output and do not contribute to waste reduction.

In addition, mistaken inducement policies, as witnessed by the current national policy of providing enormous subsidies are saddling local governments with an excessive waste disposal burden, while there is very little burden on consumers and the product producing manufacturers. Even if local governments attempt to avoid dependence on such facilities by promoting reduction of waste output through recycling and reuse of resources, the national government's subsidy policy will eventually require citizens to bear a higher burden of taxation while they sacrifice their health and precious natural environment.

We do not want to stand by and allow the earth's precious natural resources go to waste while building waste disposal facilities. What we want are a policy that prevents generation of waste at production and consumption level, and a social system capable of recycling resources. It would be necessary for the national government to establish a clearly defined extended producers' responsibility law, and a mechanism that facilitates reuse and recycling in which manufacturers recover resource by back-tracing the product distribution system. It would not only contribute to technological development while a new system is being created, but also presents Japan with a possibility to contribute to the world.

Kamikatsu-cho has recognized that it is impossible to achieve such a resource recycling system under the current national policy of constructing and utilizing incineration facilities. We the residents of Kamikatsu-cho have realized that we must act now and make those choices that ensure that our descendants do have to pay an environmental and fiscal ransom when we handover possession of this homeland that was bequeathed to us by our forefathers.

The residents of Kamikatsu-cho hereby adopt the "Zero Waste Declaration," which includes specific long-term targets, and will work to enlist the cooperation of local residents, Tokushima Prefecture, national government and manufacturers in order to build the "environmentally sustainable societies of the 21st century." The Zero Waste Declaration was adopted with 2010 as the target year in Canberra in Australia and Toronto in Canada and with 2020 as the target year in San Francisco in the United States and by over half of the local governments in New Zealand. Kamikatsu-cho hereby declares today to reduce waste that is incinerated and sent to landfill sites to zero by 2020. (See separate "Kamikatsu-cho Zero Waste Declaration" and "Kamikatsu-cho Zero Waste Project Declaration."

(translated by Greenpeace Japan, September 19, 2003)

Kamikatsu-cho Zero Waste Declaration

In order to be able to pass on to the children of future generations an earth bountiful in clean air, pristine water and a healthy natural environment, Kamikatsu-cho hereby issues the Kamikatsu-cho Zero Waste Declaration which spells out its program to reduce the waste generated to zero 2020.

1. Kamikatsu-cho will strive to foster individuals who will not pollute our environment!
2. Kamikatsu-cho shall promote waste recycling and resource reuse to the best of its ability to eliminate waste incineration and landfill by 2020!
3. Residents of Kamikatsu-cho shall join hands with people around the world in order to improve the earth's environment!

September 19, 2003.
Kamikatsu-cho, Katsuura, Tokushima Prefecture

(translated by Greenpeace Japan, September 19, 2003 )

Kamikatsu-cho Zero Waste Program Declaration

1. Recognizing that the incineration (in gasification furnaces and RDF power generation plants and others) and diversion to landfill of waste creates health hazards, destroys precious natural resources, damages the environment and places a burden on the financial system, Kamikatsu-cho will embark on program of reducing waste incineration and diversion to landfill to zero by 2020. While doing its part in eliminating waste for which it is responsible, Kamikatsu-cho shall also expend maximum effort in enlisting the cooperation of the national and Tokushima prefecture governments and the various manufacturers in the area.
2. Kamikatsu-cho shall take all steps necessary to reduce the volume of waste generated locally, while conducting waste collection and separation activities as necessary, in order to minimize the volume of waste generated by the year 2020. This will be done by creating an educational system geared to local needs and effective in achieving the maximum waste recovery ratio, as well as waste gathering and separation systems.
3. Kamikatsu-cho shall also petition both the national and Tokushima Prefecture governments to set ambitious targets with fixed deadlines effective in reducing the volumes of waste generated. Kamikatsu-cho shall quickly introduce bylaws and new legislation that will clearly define the extended producers' responsibility with regard to the foregoing targets and promptly establish systems effective in reducing output of garbage and ensuring separation and segregated recovery of that which is generated.
4. Kamikatsu-cho shall require that product manufacturers of all types establish systems that ensure that the cost of product recycling and resource reuse are included in the prices of their products as a way to meet zero waste targets. Manufacturers unable to produce products using methods that are safe and do not impact the environment after 2020 shall also be required to take measures commensurate with the degree of environmental impact based on the cost of that impact.
5. Kamikatsu-cho shall also actively promote exchange of information with other municipalities throughout Japan as a way to encourage setting of similar targets and work toward creation of a waste-reducing network that will reinforce the various efforts towards achieving these targets.

The foregoing is hereby declared by the people of Kamikatsu-cho on this day, September 19, 2003.
Kamikatsu-cho, Katsuura, Tokushima Prefecture

(translated by Greenpeace Japan, September 19, 2003 )