February 10, 2006
Aerosol manufacturers and municipalities agreed on their means to promote proper treatment and recycling of waste aerosol products. Aerosol manufacturers will shift their products to containers furnished with a contents-emitting mechanism that help empty the contents after use. In this regard, municipalities and aerosol manufacturers will encourage consumers to discharge the contents completely using this mechanism when they dispose of used aerosol products.
Waste aerosol products, such as insecticides, spray paints, hair sprays, and butane gas cartridges (hereinafter referred to as "waste aerosol products") have caused accidents when people dispose of these products without using up the contents completely. Such accidents include garbage truck fires during garbage collection, explosions at crushing facilities during the treatment process, and complications during the process of recycling.
Since June 2005, a full-scale discussion has been carried out by the Council for Treatment of End-of-Use Aerosol Products and the Central Council for Handling Designated Hard-To-Properly-Treat Waste, under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE). As the result of the discussion, a memorandum of understanding stipulating future works was exchanged between the two parties on February 9, 2006. MOE, in cooperation with the METI, shall provide and disseminate information to encourage consumers to completely empty the products by using the contents-emitting mechanism. Also, the METI and the MOE shall support the industry and municipalities in examining and reviewing the effectiveness of their efforts.
<Specific actions>
| 1. | Aerosol manufacturers |
| (a) | Promote the following: for aerosol products, furnish them with the contents-emitting mechanism, and downsize them, and for portable gas stoves, mount a heat panel; and encourage pharmacies and medical institutions to collect used medical aerosol products. |
| * | A heat panel on a portable gas stove is an apparatus to heat the cartridge to accelerate the emission of the contents. |
| (b) | Provide simple aerosol treatment apparatus to municipalities upon their request. |
| (c) | Provide customer service to respond to consumers' inquiries and disseminate information on the use of the contents-emitting mechanism to consumers. |
| 2. | Municipalities |
Disseminate information on disposal procedures of waste aerosol products that use the contents-emitting mechanism to local residents.