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Press Release

Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances at Municipalities

October 27, 2005

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has conducted periodically a questionnaire survey on municipalities across the nation in regard to the implementation status of the Law for the Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances (hereinafter referred to as "the Home Appliance Recycling Law") which was enforced in April 2001. MOE has compiled and announced the survey result as of April 1 2005.

MOE requested all municipalities across Japan through prefectural governments to answer the questionnaire, and received valid response from 2,398 municipalities of which total population is 12.756 million. The survey was conducted between May 24, and July 21, 2005.

1.Four specified post-consumer use home appliances under the Home Appliance Recycling Law

In regard to four specified post-consumer use home appliances that are not subject to the collection by retailers, 1,734 municipalities (72% of total municipalities responded the survey) do not collect them as bulky waste, showing increasing trend compared to the surveys of April 2003 and 2004. In 1,734 municipalities that do not collect these appliances, a collection system for items not subject to the collection by retailers* was established, centered on retail stores and designated collection operators in the local areas.

* Four post-consumer use home appliances that are not subject to collection by retailers under the article 9 of the Home Appliance Recycling Law are air conditioners, television sets, refrigerators and washing machines.

2.Collection of the four post-consumer use home appliances that are not subject to the collection by municipal government

Approximately 80% of the 664 municipalities, i.e. 515 municipalities, collecting four post-consumer use home appliances that are not subject to collection by municipal government collect the treatment fee through home appliance voucher system, charging only transportation fee to emitters, and the collection rate of treatment fee remains same as the previous survey. Incorrect posting of names (43%) or items (19%) of home appliance manufacturers in addition to posting of the voucher in wrong places (19%) were seen. Simple average of collection and transportation fees is approximately 2,100 to 2,400 yen for the four specified post-consumer use home appliances respectively remaining also same as the previous survey.

Number of municipalities that have collected the four specified post-consumer use home appliances in FY 2004 totaled 559. The breakdown of the collected units are 9,932 air conditioners, 46,011 television sets, 25,909 refrigerators and 24,099 washing machines and the total units of collected four specified post-consumer use home appliances were 105,931. Out of the total units, 94,834 units (approximately 90% of four specified post-consumer use home appliances collected by the municipal governments) were brought into designated collection sites. They are 8,773 air conditioners, 41,700 television sets, 23,013 refrigerators and 21,348 washing machines.

3.Current status of illegal dumping of four specified post-consumer use home appliances after the enforcement of the Home Appliance Recycling Law

In FY 2004, 1,991 municipalities (83%) collected illegally dumped four specified post-consumer use home appliances. As seen in previous survey, many of the wasted home appliances were dumped in road side (66%), forests and farm lands (60%) and waste collection stations (53%). More than half municipalities (61%) replied that illegally dumped waste home appliances were brought into designated collection sites established under the Home Appliance Recycling Law.

Following the enforcement of the law, 1,958 municipalities, which are approximately 80% of the total municipalities, have been taking preventive measures on illegal dumping. They include patrolling by municipal employees or designated operators, awareness raising using posters and flyers (65%) and establishment of a patrolling and reporting system through collaboration between municipal administration and citizen (43%). Municipal governments have made steady progress in eliminating illegal dumping.

4.Financial burden accompanied by the enforcement of the Home Appliance Recycling Law

In regard to the budgetary arrangement for the measures on illegal dumping of four specified post-consumer use home appliances, 1,907 municipalities (80%) booked initial budget for FY 2005, while 36 municipalities (1%) will book supplementary budget, and 408 municipalities (17 %) have not booked budget. Simple average of initial budget was 942 thousand yen while the mean average was 250 thousand yen.

As for financial burden due to measures on illegal dumping of four specified post-consumer use home appliances, 1,082 municipalities (45%) answered an increase, 657 municipalities (27%) answered remain flat while 519 municipalities (22%) said it was impossible to make an assessment. Awareness of financial burden accompanied by operating measures against illegal dumping has increased while approximately 20% of the municipalities said it was too early to judge if there was any change in financial burden.

5.Enforcement status of the Home Appliance Recycling Law

Number of municipalities answered that the enforcement of the law proceeds well is 212 (9%) while 1,415 (59%) municipalities answered that it proceeds almost well, which means approximately 70% of the municipalities positively evaluate enforcement status of the law.

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