Modeling of material flows suggests that achieving Japan's plastic recycling targets may hinge on collecting packaging waste from the food industry as well as households, according to a study. In 2019, the Japanese government called for the reuse or recycling of 60% of plastic containers and packaging by 2030. Jun Nakatani and colleagues attempted to clarify how much plastic packaging is generated and to model its flow through the nation. The authors created a material flow analysis by tracking inputs and outputs of plastic production supply chains. In addition to parsing the tracking analysis by resin type, the authors also analyzed flow by sector. In 2015, 1 megaton of the 1.6 megatons of plastic packaging used by households was collected for recycling, compared with 0.3-0.4 megatons of the 2.5 megatons used by industry. Food processing and food service sectors accounted for 15% of incoming plastic packaging, and the authors note that these industries should be a prime focus of increased collection for recycling. According to the authors, the analysis reveals that it would be possible to achieve recycling targets if all feasible measures are implemented, but a lack of legislative action hinders such efforts.
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ARTICLE #20-01379: "Revealing the intersectoral material flow of plastic containers and packaging in Japan," by Jun Nakatani, Tamon Maruyama, and Yuichi Moriguchi.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jun Nakatani, The University of Tokyo, JAPAN; e-mail: nakatani@env.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences