Akikuni Ushikubo*, Seishi Kawasaki**, Hidehiko Urushibara*** and Akira Ebata***

*Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture
**Yatsushiro National College of Technology
***National Association of Food Industries, Japan

+ Correspondence should be addressed to Akikuni Ushikubo:
(1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo 156 Japan)

Abstract

A questionnaire was devised to obtain information to evaluate the current situation concerning the disposal and recycling of solid wastes in Japanese food industries. The quantity and characteristics of 11 types of solid waste were surveyed including: sludges, vegetable and animal residues, plastics, scrap metals, glass, oils, incinerated residues, combustible wastes (waste paper, wood chips, etc.), incombustibles and other forms of waste. The questionnaire was sent to 934 food companies in 30 different types of food industries. The questionnaire recovery rate was 43%. In brief, a mean quantity was estimated at 10,688 tons/year under the 11 categories of solid wastes discharged from each food industry each year. Within the total volume sludges comprised 70%, vegetable residues 23%, and other wastes 7%. About 70% of the solid wastes were treated on site at each food industry, and 21% of the solid wastes were treated by industrial waste management contractors. The percentage of total discharged solid waste recycled at each food industry was estimated at about 5% while an additional 13% of the total volume was recycled by industrial waste management contractors. Waste oils were recycled as fuel in the food industries, while scrap metals and glass were usually recycled by industrial waste management contractors.

Key words: food industry, solid wastes, recycling