Japan's recycling: more efficient than U.S.A.

Abstract

Recycling plays a major role in global society. Waste is a big issue and countries are struggling with ways to keep the situation under control. Japan is a model country in terms of recycling. Their efforts have surpassed many countries. Japan has recently passed a number of laws that have helped the country's recycling issues. These laws have produced tremendous results in Japan's favor. Through enforcement of these laws the country sends only 16% of its solid waste to landfills. The United States sends close to 70% to landfills. Consumer recycling in Japan is much more advanced than the United States. Waste is separated into categories to maximize the recycling process and to minimize waste sent to landfills. The U.S. should be modeling their recycling efforts toward the Japan recycling model.