A throwaway society has produced mountains of waste, creating a nightmare that all dumps in this country may be filled in the next seven to eight years.
The situation is spurring greater calls for recycling, trash reduction and a rethink of Japan's throwaway culture.
Last year, Japan enacted the Electric Appliances Recycle Law, becoming the first economy to pass such legislation. It requires manufacturers of television sets, refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines to recycle the used appliances while obliging consumers to foot the cost.
The law goes into force in April 2001.
At present, an estimated 700,000 tons of such electric appliances fall into disuse every year.
The Electric Appliances Recycle Verification Plant, established jointly by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and appliances makers, has recently completed tests to recycle the four articles mentioned in the law.
Most appliances are made with no recycling in mind, but efforts to manufacture products subject to recycling have made it possible to recycle up to 60 percent of the used appliances in terms of weight, experts said.
An engineer in charge of recycling at a major appliance maker based in Osaka said: "Plastics that are convenient for manufacturing are the most difficult to reuse. We have decided to reconsider what to do with the plastics."
Recycling takes time and is costly, but due to its apparent benefits to the environment, manufacturers are being urged to pursue such efforts and to endeavor to reduce the cost burden on consumers.