(Kyodo) - The Ministry of Environment plans to help five Southeast Asian nations with the recycling of used home electronics appliances for which expertise is required, ministry officials said Sunday.
The government will also explore ways to help neutralize toxic materials such as polychlorinated biphenyl and those produced by hospitals in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia, the officials added.
The preparatory, fact-finding work will commence in the current fiscal year through March 2008
"These countries lack recycling techniques and have yet to develop systems to collect used equipment from households and corporations," a ministry official said.
The ministry is sending experts to the countries because relevant data is lacking. The delegation will gather information on how used goods are being dealt with in order to establish new routes to collect them for recycling.
The program is in line with a Cabinet policy adopted in June to promote international cooperation on recycling. The government regards the issue as of particular importance because climate change will be a major topic at next summer's Group of Eight summit to be hosted by Japan. The meeting will be held in the Lake Toya area of Hokkaido Prefecture.
After collecting old equipment from the five countries, the ministry aims to pass it on to Japanese companies for processing.
Japanese smelting and other firms are credited with possessing the advanced techniques required to extract rare and precious metals such as gold from cellphones and computers.
Metal prices are rising on robust demand from rapidly growing Asian countries and other emerging economies. "If we collect more used materials from Asia, that should help expand Japan's recycling business," a ministry official said.
Some observers including environmental nongovernment organizations, however, argue that major industrialized countries should assume more responsibility with regard to taking care of discarded products instead of just aiming to sell more of their goods abroad.
Such criticism also applies to Japan because some Japanese-made home appliances are being dumped in other Asian countries causing serious pollution from lead and other toxic substances.
Japan's home appliances recycling law requires manufacturers to recycle cathode-ray tube TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, which retailers and manufacturers collect from consumers.
Of around 23 million units of such equipment, however, only about half is actually recycled in Japan, with the remainder believed to be exported to other Asian countries as second-hand goods.
The government will also explore ways to help neutralize toxic materials such as polychlorinated biphenyl and those produced by hospitals in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia, the officials added.
The preparatory, fact-finding work will commence in the current fiscal year through March 2008
"These countries lack recycling techniques and have yet to develop systems to collect used equipment from households and corporations," a ministry official said.
The ministry is sending experts to the countries because relevant data is lacking. The delegation will gather information on how used goods are being dealt with in order to establish new routes to collect them for recycling.
The program is in line with a Cabinet policy adopted in June to promote international cooperation on recycling. The government regards the issue as of particular importance because climate change will be a major topic at next summer's Group of Eight summit to be hosted by Japan. The meeting will be held in the Lake Toya area of Hokkaido Prefecture.
After collecting old equipment from the five countries, the ministry aims to pass it on to Japanese companies for processing.
Japanese smelting and other firms are credited with possessing the advanced techniques required to extract rare and precious metals such as gold from cellphones and computers.
Metal prices are rising on robust demand from rapidly growing Asian countries and other emerging economies. "If we collect more used materials from Asia, that should help expand Japan's recycling business," a ministry official said.
Some observers including environmental nongovernment organizations, however, argue that major industrialized countries should assume more responsibility with regard to taking care of discarded products instead of just aiming to sell more of their goods abroad.
Such criticism also applies to Japan because some Japanese-made home appliances are being dumped in other Asian countries causing serious pollution from lead and other toxic substances.
Japan's home appliances recycling law requires manufacturers to recycle cathode-ray tube TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, which retailers and manufacturers collect from consumers.
Of around 23 million units of such equipment, however, only about half is actually recycled in Japan, with the remainder believed to be exported to other Asian countries as second-hand goods.
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