NAKA, Ibaraki Pref. -- Every year, Japan throws away 650,000 tons of refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and television sets, making up 1 percent of the nation's annual garbage output.
Most of this goes straight to landfills, where the old appliances may be stripped of steel parts and crushed, or simply buried whole. But an industry association of appliance manufacturers has recently devised a new way to take out the oversize trash.
Recycle it, says the nonprofit Association for Electric Home Appliances. The association opened an experimental recycling factory in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, in April. Over the course of one year, the plant will recycle 20,000 units, a project designers hope will lead to the development of a national recycling system for home appliances.