A recycling program for old mobile phones and other small appliances was launched on Apr. 1 in an effort to reclaim and reuse the rare metals they contain. Often referred to as “urban mines”, used electronics are discarded at a rate of 650,000 tons/year according to a Ministry of the Environment estimate. Most municipalities collect them as inflammable garbage and dispose of them in landfills.
In light of the growing environmental issue of Japan exporting its e-waste to China and other Asian nations, the government enacted a new law last August to promote the reuse of these used electronics. Last May, the three cities of Kitakyushu, Nogata and Fukuoka began collecting small appliances on a trial basis ahead of the new law. Kitakyushu estimates a collection rate of 5 ~ 6% was achieved, and the three cities are considering ways to encourage citizens to use the approximately 100 collection boxes they installed. Citing the importance of recycling rare metals amid intensifying global competition, the Ministry of the Environment has set a goal to collect 130,000 tons of small appliances in fiscal 2013 and plans to increase this more than tenfold to 1.4 million tons by the end of fiscal 2015. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Apr. 2
