TEIKYO SDGs reportIs Garbage a Symbol of the SDGs?
――The future of waste that reflects society ――
Kohei Watanabe, Professor Department of Sociology Faculty of Liberal Arts, Teikyo University
After graduating from the Department of Sanitary Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University, studied geography at the Graduate School Graduate School of Liberal Arts of the same university. After that, studied abroad University of Cambridge. He studied at the Graduate School of Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, and obtained M.Phil and Ph.D. degrees. While moving from one country to another, he has consistently continued his research on waste from his university days to the present, and his current specialty is urban waste management. He is also a member of the EU Waste Themed Forum and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Working Group.
To summarize this report ...
Waste = Garbage is full of all information about human society
However, it is difficult to define waste, and there are many cases where the way of thinking differs depending on each country and region.
In modern society, materials not found in the natural world are being created one after another, and the complexity of garbage is increasing.
The idea that a company that makes products, etc. bears a certain responsibility even after it is used is spreading all over the world, and it was stated in the law enforced in 2000 in Japan.
After all, the act of "disposal" is to throw away all the processes and energy that the product has been made into.
Therefore, solving the garbage problem is almost synonymous with solving the SDGs problem. Garbage is full of future possibilities that can be seen beyond the solution of essential social issues.
Garbage complexity
State of food waste fine composition survey in the suburbs of Tokyo
The development of science and technology and industrial technology in modern times has directly led to the complication of "waste = garbage". The main causes are the rapid increase in artificial materials that do not exist in nature, such as batteries and plastics, and the transformation of life. More than 30 years ago when I started studying at university, it was thought that the waste problem could be solved by the development of incineration and recycling methods. However, the reality is more complicated, and modern waste requires advanced technology to deal with it, as well as national legislation, the division of roles of local governments, corporate initiatives, and the behavior and awareness of ordinary people. , The base of the issues extends to a wide range of areas.
Since I was a university student, I have been working on the waste problem, and my research theme is the stage of waste generation. First, analyze the amount and contents of garbage. So far, we have collaborated with cities such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark to conduct detailed composition surveys to understand the quality of waste. We have also focused on developing analytical methods. For example, in order to find out how much recycled material is used in paper, we have made it possible to estimate the average number of times paper fibers contained in various types of paper are used. By knowing the degree of recycling, we can see the efficiency of the flow from waste collection in society to the procurement of renewable resources by companies. Furthermore, we are now expanding our research area to Southeast Asia and focusing on Malaysia, which is developing rapidly. In the big cities of Southeast Asia, the population is increasing and the economic development is remarkable, but the disposal is not keeping up with the increase in waste generated. It has also become necessary for the government to get involved and create a recycling system. We must carefully tackle complex issues such as what kind of treatment technology to combine for each type of waste. Natural objects such as animals and plants are decomposed and circulated by the natural cycle, but human-produced waste does not. It is the minimum responsibility for human beings to handle it to the stage where it is left to the purification ability of nature.
What is garbage
State of final disposal site in the suburbs of Jakarta, Indonesia
What is garbage in the first place? In fact, the world is still struggling to define. Recyclable materials can be said to be resources, and even if they have a high monetary value, those with a high environmental impact after disposal need to be managed. There are laws on waste in each country, but as new materials are being developed one after another, the reality is that all definitions of waste have to follow the industrial and social life. For example, in the EU, waste rules are set and accepted by each country throughout the EU, but there are cases where conflicts arise due to different industries and cultures. Japan is no exception. Initially, the national government decided the requirements for waste in detail, but now each municipality is entrusted with the interpretation of the law. This is because collection and processing are carried out regionally. It also depends on the performance of the waste treatment equipment owned by the local government.
However, follow-up response cannot accurately grasp the comprehensive problems of various discarded items. Since the 1990s, there has been a growing demand for "responsibility on the part of the makers", and in 2000, the "Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling Society" was enacted in Japan with the aim of breaking away from the mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal type society. It was enforced and "Extended Producer Responsibility" was added as a wording. Of course, the responsibility of the producer was to constantly realize safety and functionality, but after the legislation was established, it was said that the producer would also be responsible for the environmental load that occurs after the manufactured product is discarded. is. Speaking of SDGs, it can be said that the content also corresponds to the area of "responsibility to create and responsibility to use" in Goal 12.
Know the meaning of "throw away"
The essence of the garbage issue is how to realize a social structure that "does not have to be thrown away". Take, for example, food, which is said to account for about 30% of the world's global warming gas emissions. The contents related to goals 1, 2 and 3 of the SDGs are also described, and it is a theme that is of great interest to the world. For example, suppose you bought a rice ball, but you missed the opportunity to eat it and the time has passed, so you discard it. If even one 100 million people living in Japan do the same thing several times a year, the amount will be enormous. Then, the process of producing rice and ingredients, the process of cooking and processing it, the cost of people and goods in the process of distribution, labor, energy, etc. are all wasted together. So, if you try to buy one less at the next purchase, the problem will not always be solved. At retail stores, the highest priority is not to run out of stock, so unbought items may end up being thrown away as unsold items. Also, the rice ball manufacturing factories are always overproducing some to be able to respond to sudden additional orders from retailers, and if nothing happens, it is thrown away. No one knows how many have been discarded, as no bird's-eye view of these systems is usually made. Therefore, the quantity sold to the customer is judged to be "the required quantity". As a result, the mechanics that "it is okay to increase the supply amount a little more than the current supply" works and is transmitted to the production side. As a result, food producers want to expand their agricultural land, and they will need to secure agricultural land by logging in the rainforest. The ability to absorb CO2 will decrease and biodiversity will be lost. At the same time, food is not distributed to people who are suffering from poverty and the gap is widening.
State of plastic sorting facility (near Tokyo)
The examples given here are pretty sloppy, but the reality is getting worse. The same thing is happening with all products, not just food. Disposing is synonymous with becoming a perpetrator. The important thing is to understand the current situation accurately and change the perception. International efforts are also needed. For example, there is Japanese English called food loss, which does not mean the same as food loss in English. Internationally, food waste consists of food loss and food waste. Food loss means waste generated during the production and manufacturing stages, and food waste means retail, eating out, and household origin. Efforts are underway in each country and industrial field around the world. It is indispensable to correct our recognition once again and improve the accuracy of actions, and for that purpose, it is impossible to compare without standardizing the definitions of terms, and it is difficult to divert and introduce cases.
To a society with less waste
Garbage collection (in Tokyo)
From an SDGs perspective, garbage is one of the symbolic beings that condenses all issues. At the same time, it can be said that the ideal society for the SDGs is a “waste-free society”. However, it will not be zero as long as the human society centered on the city continues. Unless we improve everything, including social structure, industrial structure, economic structure, and consumer consciousness, it will be difficult to even reduce it. It must be said that the path to "not throwing away" is steep. That is why the 3Rs (reuse, reduce, recycle), which are already becoming widespread but still have a lot of room, will become more and more important in the future. It is doubtful that recycling technology is overemphasized. Although it is better than making things from new products, it requires a considerable amount of energy to recycle, so mass consumption and mass recycling will not reduce the environmental burden.
As I said at the beginning, the situation already calls for involvement from all aspects of society. The challenge is also a big opportunity. Solving the problem of waste means pursuing the desirable way of using substances in society. In the world, various wisdoms are now taking action to solve problems. What is important is the image and creation of a new society beyond the challenges. There are certainly many hints in the garbage that can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.
