Japan – Pay-As-You-Throw programme reduces household waste in Kyoto

Nine months after a new fee-based waste collection programme was introduced in the city of Kyoto, the volume of household garbage generated by residents had dropped by some 17 percent and the volume of recyclables was some 21 per cent lower compared to the previous year, according to a city report released in Nobember 2007. Japan for Sustainability reports that over 50 per cent of people that responded to a public survey on the new program, conducted by the city in February 2007, said that they had definitely changed their waste handling habits as a result.



The city introduced the fee-based designated garbage disposal bag program in October 2006, in which household garbage is collected for 1 yen (about 0.86 U. S. cents) per liter and recyclables such as cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles are collected for half that price. For example, a 45-liter garbage bag for household garbage, not to include recyclables, w ould cost 45 yen (about 39 U. S. cents).



The overall survey results showed that the program had succeeded in encouraging people to reduce their waste volume by changing the way they packed and separated their garbage, among other things. The survey targeted 2,000 people aged 20 or older living in Kyoto, and a total of 987 people responded. Approximately 56 per cent of survey respondents said that they had worked to reduce the volume of their garbage by doing things like breaking down paper boxes. In addition, 22 per cent said that they had changed their shopping habits to reduce waste by, for example, choosing products with less packaging. While some 36 percent did not regard the cost of the garbage bags as a burden, 48 per cent felt it was a burden or a heavy burden.