Japan increases car recycling rates

Archiv – The Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are planning to require car manufacturers to recycle around 30% of end-of-life vehicle residues by the year 2006, rising to 50% by 2010 and to around 70% by 2015. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are planning to require car manufacturers to recycle around 30% of end-of-life vehicle residues by the year 2006, rising to 50% by 2010 and to around 70% by 2015. The target figures will be formally enshrined in a car recycling law to be put in place by the end of next year.
Japan’s car industry has already set itself a voluntary target of recycling more than 95% of end-of-life vehicles by 2015. The ministries consider the goal to be achvievable provided that some 70% of crushed waste is recycled.
In Japan, some 80% of scrapped cars by weight – including parts – are currently recycled. The remaining mix of materials, such as resins and textiles, is crushed. A large proportion of the 550 000-750 000 short tons of crushed waste produced each year is landfilled.