Catharina Klein
Research expert covering Japan
Plastic waste in Japan - statistics & facts
Japan continues to be one of the largest producers of plastic products, with plastic packaging and single-use plastic products being the leading plastic products that were manufactured. Even though the disposal volume of plastic waste in Japan has decreased, it remained at over eight million metric tons annually. Plastic packaging is commonly used as it holds the image of being hygienic among Japanese citizens. The popularity of takeaway food boxes from supermarkets, as well as vending machines with beverages in PET bottles, contributes to the generation of plastic waste. As a result, plastic waste pollution has become a major environmental issue, posing a threat both to the health of animals and humans, as harmful chemicals from microplastics end up in the food chain.
Increasing to 87 percent, the recycling rate of plastic waste was much higher than the recycling rate of regular waste in Japan, which remained low at around 20 percent. However, thermal recycling remained the most common recycling method for plastic waste. With this method, the waste is incinerated to generate energy. Despite the filtering technologies, which prevent incineration plants from releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases, the incineration process produces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to air pollution and global warming. Only a small amount of plastic waste is reused to manufacture new plastic products.
Next to the 3R initiative, which encourages businesses and citizens to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste, the government launched the Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics in 2019, with the goal of all plastic packaging to be either reusable or recyclable by 2025. Furthermore, Japanese companies are currently working on replacing plastic products with paper products, especially for packaging materials. Even though the production cost of paper is usually higher than for plastic, paper is more compact and recyclable, posing a more environmentally friendly alternative.
While the overall recycling rate in Japan remains low, the plastic recycling rate seems to be much higher. However, Japan will need to switch to methods that reuse the plastic materials instead of incinerating them or reduce the overall use of plastic products to be more sustainable in the long run. Materials such as paper or bioplastics might pose a good alternative, but currently, Japan is holding on to plastic packaging.
How does Japan deal with plastic waste?
Historically, Japan exported huge amounts of plastic waste, mainly to other Asian countries. But the exports decreased significantly after 2017, when China banned plastic waste imports, forcing the island nation to find more sustainable solutions to reduce and manage its plastic waste.Increasing to 87 percent, the recycling rate of plastic waste was much higher than the recycling rate of regular waste in Japan, which remained low at around 20 percent. However, thermal recycling remained the most common recycling method for plastic waste. With this method, the waste is incinerated to generate energy. Despite the filtering technologies, which prevent incineration plants from releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases, the incineration process produces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to air pollution and global warming. Only a small amount of plastic waste is reused to manufacture new plastic products.
Measures to reduce plastic waste
As a measure to reduce the generation of plastic waste, the Japanese government prohibited all retail shops from distributing free plastic shopping bags as of July 2020. Customers are increasingly given the opportunity to use their reusable containers to buy food and other items. This measure is showing effects as Japanese people stated in a survey that was conducted in 2022, that they tried to use reusable bags and avoided plastic bags to reduce plastic waste.Next to the 3R initiative, which encourages businesses and citizens to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste, the government launched the Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics in 2019, with the goal of all plastic packaging to be either reusable or recyclable by 2025. Furthermore, Japanese companies are currently working on replacing plastic products with paper products, especially for packaging materials. Even though the production cost of paper is usually higher than for plastic, paper is more compact and recyclable, posing a more environmentally friendly alternative.
While the overall recycling rate in Japan remains low, the plastic recycling rate seems to be much higher. However, Japan will need to switch to methods that reuse the plastic materials instead of incinerating them or reduce the overall use of plastic products to be more sustainable in the long run. Materials such as paper or bioplastics might pose a good alternative, but currently, Japan is holding on to plastic packaging.
