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The 9th 3R International Scientific Conference on Material Cycles and Waste Management (3RINCs2023) was held on 13-18 March 2023 at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan. The conference was held online and in person by the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management (JSMCWM), in collaboration with the Korea Society of Waste Management (KSWM), Society for Solid Waste, Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences (SSW-CSES), Solid Waste Management Association Thailand (SWAT), National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) and the International Conference on Sustainable Waste Management & Circular Economy (IconSWM-CE) and the International Partnership for Expanding Waste Management Services of Local Authorities (IPLA) Global Forum.
The five-day conference consisted of plenary sessions, special sessions, and general sessions, highlighting a variety of topics related to the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) and waste management. Plenary session lectures covered plastic sustainability, the latest trends in in Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) in Europe, and efforts made by the city of Kyoto towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Eight special sessions were held and addressed plastic flow and plastic management policy, mercury waste management, open dumping and burning in low income communities, waste decarbonization in developing countries, resilient waste management and the reduction of disaster waste, sanitary landfill stabilization and the end of aftercare, and the outcome of the 11th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific.
Ultimately, more than 430 people from 24 countries and regions participated in 3RINCs2023, including participants from academia, national authorities, international agencies, the private sector, and civil society, as well as experts in various fields.
We would like to express our thanks to all who participated in 3RINCs2023, whether in-person or online.
More information is available at the following links.
(By Reiko SODENO, SIT)
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A Plenary Lecture of 3RINCs2023, titled “Carbon Capture and Storage activities in the Energy from Waste Industry within Europe”, was presented by Ms. Burçin Temel McKenna of Ramboll, Denmark, a CCUS specialist in Europe. This lecture focused on current CCUS challenges in the Energy from Waste (EfW) sector in Europe. She explained that CCUS in the EfW sector is well-planned and/or developed, especially in the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, and Norway, as they have enough capacity for CO2 storage in the North Sea. In the UK in particular, the development by 2025 of two carbon capture clusters, the East Coast Cluster and the HyNet Cluster, is planned. The CO2 captured in the EfW sector will be stored in the North Sea through these clusters, as the off-shore CO2 storage capacity is comparable to 200 years of UK CO2 emissions. Ms. McKenna also reported on the development of carbon capture at the Amager Resource Center (ARC) in Denmark and hot potassium carbonate carbon capture at Stockholm Exergi. She further stated that Germany will present a carbon management strategy in 2023.
As alluded to above in the summary of Ms. McKenna’s lecture, projects are being implemented to deal with challenges related to CCUS, especially in Northern Europe. Many of these projects are in the planning or development phase, targeting 2030. Even though there are geographic differences between Europe and Japan, these activities would be helpful for us as well.
(By Nobuhiro TANIGAKI, Nippon Steel Co.)
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The 2023 Spring Conference of the Korea Society of Waste Management (KWSM) was held in person on 18-19 May 2023 in Busan, Korea. A total of 22 people from Japan visited Busan; it was a perfect opportunity to re-establish old ties. On 18 May, an international symposium under the title “Environmentally Sound Management of Mercury Waste” was held jointly by the KWSM and the JSMCWM and, on 19 May, a technical tour was held for the participants from Japan.
The symposium began with opening remarks from Prof. Jae Young Kim, president of the KWSM, and Dr. Masahiro Osako, president of the JSMCWM, celebrating the first face-to-face meeting since the outbreak of COVID-19. The symposium consisted of two presentations from Korea and two presentations from Japan, co-chaired by Prof. Yong-Chul Jang and Dr. Masahiro Osako. Dr. Sunmin Hwang of the National Institute of Environment Research, Korea, spoke on “Management of Mercury Waste in Republic of Korea”, explaining the classification and disposal method of mercury waste and the action plan for mercury in Korea. In “Technical Trial of Long-term Safe Disposal for Waste Consisting of Mercury”, Prof. Masaki Takaoka of Kyoto University presented on long-term storage and disposal methods for mercury waste, based on various experimental results. Next, Prof. Yong-Chil Seo of Yonsei University reported on the effectiveness of thermal treatment of waste and soil containing mercury in a talk titled “Experiences in Mercury Recovery and Treatment for Wastes and Soils Using a Thermal Technology”. Finally, the Shibaura Institute of Technology’s Prof. Reiko Sodeno spoke on the “Policies on Environmentally Sound Management of Mercury and Prediction of Excess Mercury”, introducing methods for managing mercury waste in Japan and estimates of future domestic stocks.
In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the KWSM for their warm hospitality to the participants from Japan.
(By Kosuke KAWAI, NIES)
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