Tag - waste

 
 

WASTE

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 30, 2023
Jumbo problem: Sri Lanka's battle with plastic pollution
The island's unprecedented economic crisis means there has been a pile-up of trash because of a shortage of fuel for garbage trucks.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 26, 2023
The world is losing the 'war on plastic.' What can be done to curb waste?
The U.N. this month took a major step toward what could become the world’s first treaty to curb plastic pollution. But a recent report highlights the immense challenge that lies ahead.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 15, 2023
How South Korea puts its food scraps to good use
South Korea, which banned food scraps from its landfills almost 20 years ago, now turns the vast majority of it into animal feed, fertilizer and fuel for heating homes.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 14, 2023
U.S. facility that made fuel for Nagasaki A-bomb harmed health, residents say
Declassified papers show the complex contaminated the surrounding farmland, air, farm animals, and crops with unsafe levels of radiation for years.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 14, 2023
Finland's nuclear catacombs nearly ready to house waste
The project aims to solve the age-old quagmire of what to do with nuclear waste.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 3, 2023
After rough start, U.N. plastic treaty talks end with mandate for first draft
By the session's close, countries agreed to prepare a 'zero draft' text of what would become a legally binding plastics treaty.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 1, 2023
A poisonous Cold War legacy that defies a solution
At site after site, the solution has come down to a choice between an expensive, decadeslong cleanup or quicker action that leaves a large amount of waste in place.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 29, 2023
Recycling in focus as plastics treaty talks get underway in Paris
Many countries have said a goal of the treaty should be 'circularity' — or keeping already produced plastic items in circulation as long as possible.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 23, 2023
Realizing the power of bokashi and microorganisms in farming
Farmers worldwide have shown a preference for bokashi, whose top proponents include Okinawa-based researcher Teruo Higa, over traditional composting because it is much quicker to prepare.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 23, 2023
In West Africa, a ‘bokashi revolution’ takes root
A Japanese fermentation-based fertilization method is helping the region’s farmers cope with the effects of the war in Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2023
Sustainable food — not more of it — needed as global hunger soars
Farmers today grow sufficient crops to feed twice the current population — but but nearly a third of food produced globally is spoiled or thrown away.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2023
'Horizontal recycling' gives plastics a second life
Through the process, used plastic bottles and other items can be repeatedly recycled into the same thing without the need for new petroleum-derived materials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 2, 2023
The startup tackling waste disposal with microorganisms
Komham supplies bacteria that can process 98% of organic waste into water and carbon dioxide in just 24 hours.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2023
How to decommission a nuclear power plant
Germany's last three nuclear power plants will stop generating electricity from Saturday. Here's a look at what happens after the plants are taken offline.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2023
Dismantling Germany's Lubmin nuclear plant, piece by piece
The facility was closed in 1990, but it will still be several decades before the work is done. In all, workers have 1.8 million metric tons of material to sort through and shift.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 11, 2023
The ups and downs of the global nuclear industry
As Germany prepares to shut its last nuclear reactors for good, other countries are turning to nuclear as a means of boosting their energy independence and cutting fossil fuel emissions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 3, 2023
Aiming for zero waste, Hiroshima firms gear up for plastic recycling drive
A number of companies based in the prefecture are either developing their own recycling techniques or contributing to wider efforts to improve local environmental standards.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 6, 2023
Is biodegradable better? Making sense of 'compostable' plastics.
Some fear these 'magical' solutions could lead to further environmental havoc and even encourage more wasteful consumption.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 28, 2023
The EU is cracking down on plastic. Will others follow?
The European Commission has proposed sweeping packaging regulations, requiring product packaging in the EU to be easier to reuse, recycle or in some cases, compost.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 28, 2023
At the home of Zara, fast and slow fashion collide
Sustainability is a problem in fashion — the EU throws out around 5.8 million tons of textile products every year, equivalent to 11 kg (24 lb) per person.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree