Das japanische Recyclingrecht: Zugleich eine Besprechung des Buches „Das japanische Rohstoff-Recyclinggesetz“ von Swantje Lorenz mit einer Einleitung von Erich Pauer

Abstract

The recycling of waste materials has gained more and more importance during recent years in Japan and many other countries as a new form of eco-friendly waste manage-ment and as a means to prevent and reduce the amount of industrial and household waste to be disposed of conventionally. This paper describes the current policy of recycling in Japan and the various laws that have to be observed in this regard. Particularly since the 1990s, Japan has remarkably changed its policy of refuse dis-posal toward the promotion of recycling, and since then many recycling-related laws have been enacted. Although this policy also aims at the protection of the environment and the promotion of a more efficient use of valuable materials, the primary reason for the promotion of recycling in Japan is the growing difficulty of getting rid of the waste by way of conventional measures. There are a lack of space for dumping refuse in the country and too few facilities capable of handling the waste properly. The paper also reviews a book on the Japanese “Material Recycling Act” that contains, for instance, a German translation of the act and related ordinances.