Page 50 from: Recycling International November/December issue 2024
Legacy of change
With innovative recycling techniques,
educational outreach and partnerships
abroad, Japan’s Kayama Kogyo has evolved
from a waste processor to a guardian of
environmental sustainability.
Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
How does a waste disposal company
grow into an environmental solutions
company? Ask the folks at Kayama
Kogyo, a Japan-based industrial waste
processor which has spent its 73 years
of operation constantly learning,
improving and innovating in a chang-
ing world.
In 1951, Isao Kayama witnessed the
incredible amount of trash generated
by Japan’s postwar industrial boom.
Concerned by a lack of infrastructure
to handle this growing waste moun-
tain, Kayama saw an opportunity to
make an impact and founded Kayama
Kogyo.
Today, Kayama’s grandson Junichiro
Kayama is ceo and continuing his
grandfather’s mission of ensuring a
prosperous future through proper
waste disposal. The company acknowl-
edges its responsibility to adapt to
increasing environmental concerns.
‘Incinerating and landfilling is no lon-
ger enough,’ explains Kayama. ‘We
need to recycle and reduce the
amount of waste going to landfill.’
WIDE RANGE
Kayama Kogyo’s facilities process a
wide range of materials from indus-
trial and construction waste to cop-
per wire and wood. Materials are
sorted and processed to create sell-
able metals, paper chips, and fuel
from waste plastic and paper.
Remaining materials and other haz-
ardous materials are incinerated in-
house. Currently 80% of incoming
material is recycled. ‘We are doing
everything we can to make that fig-
ure 100%,’ declares Kayama.
To effectively handle its incoming
waste, the company operates three
SSI shredders. Two dual-shear shred-
ders, the M120 and the larger M140,
break down incoming industrial and
construction waste to improve the
flow for the sorting equipment down-
stream. A Quad Q100 four-shaft
shredder at Kayama’s new facility effi-
ciently provides both a primary shred
and uniform particle size reduction in
one machine.
Asked why he opted for SSI shredders
in his facility, Junichiro Kayama points
to similarities between SSI and
Kayama that created a natural partner-
ship. ‘We do our best to innovate. We
felt that SSI was similar in always inno-
vating and improving their shredders.’
Outside of a shared dedication to
innovation, SSI also provides Kayama
with the ability to maintain production
as waste materials change.
‘There are more and more materials
that are hard to shred [and they] con-
tinue to increase,’ Kayama reveals.
‘After extensive research, we came to
the conclusion that the SSI shredders
were the best units for difficult materi-
al.’
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN
Kayama Kogyo goes beyond waste
management: it is also dedicated to
protecting the environment. To prove
this commitment, it began a beekeep-
ing project at its incinerator facility.
Bees are an indicator species and any
pollutants in the surrounding environ-
ment would be detectible in the
honey. To study the impact of the
incinerator, the honey is tested regu-
larly for contaminants. To date, the
honey continues to test free of any
pollutants.
As with the beekeeping project,
Kayama Kogyo continues to employ
diverse and creative strategies for rais-
ing environmental and recycling
awareness. Its mascot, a dinosaur char-
acter named Torano san, appears on
local television programmes to edu-
cate children on how to reduce waste
Pile of RDF-RPF.
Kayama Kogyo employs diverse and creative strategies for raising environmental and
recycling awareness.
The Kayama Kogyo facilities.
How Kayama Kogyo leads Japan’s recycling revolution
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