Update on MSW Management and Incineration in Japan Yuichiro Hattori (GAIA) GAIA Asia Regional Meeting 2012

Japan: Most incinerator-intensive country in the world Number of MSW incinerators: 1,221 as of % of MSW is incinerated while just 1.5% is directly landfilled and 19.5% recycled

Background Rapid economic growth in 1960s - Shortage of landfills - Public health concerns Central government’s strong policy to expand incineration - Huge subsidies - Number of incinerators reached 1,964 by 1975 “Incineration as a precondition” - Few opposition movements beyond nimbyism - Concern for “not having incineration”

Problem1: Inefficiency of MSW incinerators in Japan Vast majority are extremely small - Average capacity: 152 tons per day (2010) - Only less than half are larger than 100 tons per day - 22% are smaller than 30 tons per day

Thus, not many of them can generate power - Only 25% generate power (whether or not the power generated is enough to cover the operation of the plant) - 35% have no thermal recovery at all - 64% (including those generating power) have heat utilization for district heating

Problem2: Unbelievably high costs of MSW management in Japan Stringent emissions standards largely respected - Bag filter requirement in Sanitary landfills and vitrification (ash-melting) technology for the hazardous ash Average MSW management cost: USD493 per ton of waste (including incineration, landfill, collection and recycling / given USD1 = JPY80) Average per-capita MSW management cost: USD180 per year (including incineration, landfill, collection and recycling / given USD1 = JPY80) Average construction cost of an incinerator: USD525, ,000 per ton (depending on the exchange rates)

Problem3: Inflexibility of the system Dependency on incinerators is preventing the improvement of the system - Lack of funds and space left for introducing other new facilities such as biogas - No market developed for compost and other technologies than incineration - Governments and municipalities need to justify the huge amount of money that has been spent on the incinerators historically It’s hard to change the system once established

Summary – MSW in Japan Small and rather inefficient incinerators Stringent emissions standards resulting in costly management Inflexible system Big problems remain despite the relatively well- managed system It is inappropriate to treat Japan as a successful model for promoting incineration