Disposal of solid wastes

The national Solid Waste Disposal and Sanitation Act requires each prefectural governor to have a plan for the disposal of solid wastes, and gives mayors of municipalities responsibility for sanitation practices, i.e., day to day collection and processing, in their respective areas. The coverage and detail of the plans differ by prefecture. In general, each plan includes projections of future generation of solid wastes and calculations of the necessary capacities of facilities to dispose of the estimated amounts, including consideration of recycling and reduction by incineration and/or compaction. In the plans the following classification of solid wastes is used. Municipal wastes: Post-consumer wastes; commercial and business wastes, including wastes generated by public offices and schools; wastes collected from public places and in cleaning streets. Industrial wastes: All types of solid wastes generated by industrial activities, including some types of liquid wastes such as waste oil, waste acid, waste alkali, and organic and inorganic sludge, if these liquid, or semi-liquid, wastes are sealed in water-tight containers; waste materials from demolished buildings. Residual soil: Residual soil generated by public construction activities, including material from dredging rivers, harbors, navigation channels (dredging spoil); residual soil generated by private construction activities. Sanitation residuals: Residual ash generated at municipal incinerators; sludge generated in water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, and night soil treatment plants.