Japanese Japan‘‘s Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry have released a report on the status of the Law for the Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances for fiscal year 2003.

Japan for Sustainability reports that since its introduction in April 2001, the law has been promoting systematic recycling of four kinds of used home appliances, namely air conditioners, television sets, refrigerators and washing machines. The law calls for consumers‘‘ proper disposal, retailers‘‘ collection from consumers, manufacturers‘‘ collection from retailers at designated sites, and recycling of reusable appliances at recycling facilities.

According to the report, the number of the home appliances collected at the designated sites in fiscal year 2003 increased by three percent over the year before, while the number of new appliances shipped in the nation decreased by eight percent. These numbers suggest that the recycling system of the home appliances has been taking root among consumers, considering that people often dispose of their used home appliances when they purchase new ones.

The number of the end-of-life home appliances collected in fiscal 2003 totaled 10.46 million units, consisting of 3.55 million television sets (35%), 2.67 million refrigerators (25%), 2.66 million washing machines (25%), and 1.59 million air conditioners (15%). As of the end of March 2004, a total of 41 home appliance recycling plants were in operation nationwide, creating about 2,200 jobs