Katsuya Nagata

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University
(3-4-1, Shin-Ohkubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555 Japan)

Abstract

In the great current of the times, in which local environmental pollution by industry developed into pollution of the living environment in cities and then escalated into global environmental contamination, the limit of nature's cleaning capacity has come to be widely recognized, together with the finiteness of natural resources. The problem of waste is a social problem which has close connections with both and is very close to our everyday lives. The seriousness, of the problem has been recognized, and there is strong demand for a basic solution. This is more or less common to all industrialized countries, and all such countries are aiming to structure sustainable-growth societies through nationwide endeavors. As society becomes affluent, people's sense of values changes-the value of the tangible declines in relative terms, while the value of the environment rises. The amount of waste increases, whereas the capacity to dispose of it cannot keep pace. This is a paradox incidental to affluent society. The purpose of structuring a sustainable-growth society is to radically settle this paradox. In such a situation, a new concept for disposal and recycling of waste is being demanded in the societies. The current situation of municipal solid waste problem, and desirable revolution for the social system, regulations and technologies are proposed in this paper.

Key words: waste disposal, recycling, regulation, sustainable growth, production system