Environmentally Friendly Living
(1) Garbage Classification and Recycling
Since August 1993, in order to promote recyclable household garbage through sorting, the residents of Minamata City have planned a detailed garbage classification system; garbage was divided into 21 categories in the fiscal year 1999, and 23 categories since the fiscal year 2000.
The City provides one garbage collection station for each 500 - 100 households, with 300 stations around the City. Each area's assigned recycling volunteers take turn in groups of two or three to assist the residents who bring in garbage for sorting out recyclable materials by themselves.
Once a month the residents work together to classify garbage, an activity which revives the community spirit, and creates a place for residents to get together.
Besides classification, the Recycling Volunteers Committee promotes Taking-Back-Home- Garbage Campaign, Recycling Campaign, and organizes recycling fairs such as flea markets where reusable goods are sold.
Classification and Collection flow
1. Municipal Environmental Clean Center distributes classified and labeled containers to each collection station once a month by 3p.m. on the day before the predetermined collection day.
2. The containers are sorted and distributed by the recycling volunteers.
3. Between the evening of the container distribution day and 8:30 a.m. on the collection day, the residents sort their garbage into the containers with the help of the recycling volunteers.
4. On the collection day, after garbage is being collected by 6 garbage trucks, the garbage in each category is then weighed and recorded according to districts.
5. Recyclable garbage is stored at the Environmental Clean Center and later sold to traders for recycling.
6. Profits from the sale of recyclable garbage are distributed to each district according to the weight of each district's recyclable garbage; large districts receive up to 600,000 yen a year and smaller districts about 70,000-80,000 yen.
(2) Women's Liaison Conference on Waste Reduction
Because of its effort to classify garbage, Minamata City has successfully reduced its waste output significantly, from 10,000 tons in 1992 to 8,000 tons in 1994.
However, it has become necessary to move beyond garbage classification to garbage reduction due to increasing garbage generation.
As a result, in December 1997, 16 women's groups, which have great interest in waste reduction, met together and organized the "Women's Liaison Conference on Waste Garbage" with the slogan of "Let's reduce the increasing garbage from each household!"
They actively encourage residents not to bring home items that are not absolutely required which may result in waste, to repair broken items and to buy recycled products when possible.
Overview of "Green Consumer Campaign"
| September 1998 | Making "An agreement to remove food trays" for 65 food items with four major supermarkets in the City. |
| Nov-Dec 1998 | Distributing "Eco-shopping bags" to all 12,480 households to promote their "Carrying a shopping bag with you" Campaign. |
| April & Dec 1999 | Conducting inspection checks for the certification of "Eco Shop," that is a shop which worked sufficiently toward making their shop environmentally friendly in terms of saving energy, recycling, and so on. As of March 2004, 14 shops have been certified as "Eco Shops". |
| October 2000 | Signing of agreements to remove food trays for 76 food items. |
| April-July 2001 | Producing illustrated picture cards for a play to encourage waste reduction. |
| November 2001 | Awarded the "Healthy Garbage" Award. |
| 2002 | ECO-SHOP qualification evaluation |
| 2003 | ECO-SHOP qualification evaluation |
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| Inspection Check for the Certification of "Eco Shop" | "Eco-Shopping Bag" |
(3) My Home's ISO
ISO is an acronym for the "International Organization for Standardization." In February 1999, Minamata City was awarded ISO 14001 Certification for Environmental Management Systems.
At the suggestion of the Minamata's Junior Chamber of Commerce, the "My Home's ISO" Campaign, based on the ISO standard, was launched with the aim of spreading the program to promote environment-consciousness in each household.
In the program to conserve the sea, mountains, rivers and air of Minamata so as to pass them on to future generations, at present 80 households are participating in the environmentally friendly living. This includes the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, efficient use of resources, reduction of the burden on the environment and conservation of the environment. Each family member makes a declaration and regularly review on it, making conscious effort in playing a part.
(4) District environmental agreement
In addition to the motto "We will protect our living environment by ourselves," the District Environmental Agreement, which determines the rules of lifestyle regarding the environment, was made so that the local residents could conserve the local.
At present, seven districts have made the agreements that include the protection of surrounding rivers and their banks, forests and their water resources, reduction & recycling of household waste, and monitoring of illegal waste dumping.
Example:"Susubaru" District Agreement
| Agreement Date | 30,March,1999 | Agreement District | 14 |
| Participating Households | 77 (As of May 2002) | ||
| Agreement Clauses |
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(5) Eco-Shop certification system: making shops environmentally friendly
In April and December of 1999 and August of 2001, shops that were environmentally-conscious in terms of energy saving and waste reduction were recognized as "Eco-Shops." (As of August 2002, 12 shops have been recognized.)
As part of the effort of the Women's Liaison Conference on Waste Reduction to control the waste output in Minamata City, shops which meet more than 4 requirements out of 16-- such as promoting simple packaging, garbage recycling, and selling of Eco-marked products-- were inspected by the Women's Liaison Conference and awarded the title of "Eco Shop" by the City. Eco Shops are granted an Eco-Shop sticker and a certificate.