From: Junichi Sato <junichi.sato@no.address> Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2003 16:17:59 +0900
You can now see the English version of the Kamikatsu's declaration from here. http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/toxics/zerowaste/localgov/kamikatsu_en_html
Thanks for all,
Junichi Greenpeace Japan
> Greenpeace Hails First-ever Zero Waste Declaration in Japan
> Kamikatsu town in Tokushima prefecture adopts policy aiming for zero waste
> by 2020 without incineration or landfills.
>
> 19 September 2003, Tokyo -- The town council of Kamikatsu, located in
> Tokushima prefecture in the southwestern island of Shikoku in Japan, today
> renounced Japan's continuing reliance on dirty technologies to deal with its
> waste problems by adopting the country's first-ever Zero-Waste Declaration,
> which aims to eliminate the need for incinerators and landfills and move the
> town's communities towards safe and sustainable discard management systems.
>
> Called the "Kamikatsu Town Zero Waste Declaration," the policy states that
> "to bequeath clean air, palatable water, and fertile earth for the children
> of posterity, the town of Kamikatsu shall abrogate waste incineration and
> landfills by the year 2020 to achieve zero waste." No municipality in Japan
> has ever adopted this kind of policy, which makes it an unprecedented
> victory for waste activists in what is considered to be the incinerator
> capital of the world. Japan operates the most number of waste incinerators
> than any other country in the world today . It also holds the dubious
> distinction of having the highest levels of dioxins in the environment, a
> likely consequence of the government's mindless burning policies.
>
> IN adopting the policy, Kamikatsu embraces the Zero Waste approach which is
> already accepted practice in many cities and municipalities in Australia,
> New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and even in developing countries.
> Zero Waste seeks to eliminate waste, reduce the quantities and toxicities of
> materials used , and promote the reuse, recycling or composting of
> discarded materials .
>
> The mayor of Kamikatsu stressed the importance of the Declaration , saying
> that with it, "Kamikatsu hopes to send the message that Japan needs to move
> away from its continuing addiction to expensive and polluting technologies
> which is leaving behind a wasteful and toxic legacy for future
> generations." He further added, "I want to help expand the network of zero
> waste municipalities not just in Japan but also worldwide. We hope that with
> our example, we would be able to encourage other municipalities to adopt the
> same policy."
>
> "Kamikatsu's Zero Waste Declaration represents hope and renewal for every
> community fighting incinerators and other dirty technologies in Japan and
> elsewhere. It is important that any declaration aiming to achieve zero waste
> carry a clear deadline like Kamikatsu's 2020 vision. The deadline ensures
> that laws and ordinances which obligate manufacturers to be responsible for
> the recovery of their products, coupled with improvements in existing
> recycling systems , would be implemented to maximum effect," said Greenpeace
> Japan's toxics campaigner Junichi Sato.
>
> Greenpeace Japan and the world-renowned expert on waste incineration and
> zero waste Dr. Paul Connett of St. Lawrence University have together toured
> Japan since July asking large and small municipalities to adopt zero waste
> policies. Dr. Connett was in Kamikatsu last July where he gave a lecture on
> zero waste to town residents. Informed about the Kamikatsu Declaration, Dr.
> Connett commented that "the decision is the first prescription to Japan's
> "mad burn-disease. When I visited the town of Kamikatsu this summer, I was
> very impressed by the responsible efforts made by the town citizens and the
> mayor," he added.
>
> For his part, Von Hernandez of Greenpeace International said that the
> "Japanese government should follow Kamikatsu's lead instead of building more
> burners and exporting them to its neighboring countries in Asia. In
> Southeast Asia, there is already growing resistance to these Japanese dirty
> technology transfer schemes which are often masquerading as aid packages."
> For his work in helping ban waste incineration in Philippines, Hernandez was
> awarded the prestigious Goldman Environment Prize , widely recognized as the
> Nobel Prize for the environment, last April.
>
> Greenpeace Japan will continue to approach and work with municipalities
> which are implementing progressive policies on waste management throughout
> Japan, and help create a network of zero waste communities demanding
> community based sustainable waste management programs and practices.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Manny C. Calonzo
> GAIA Secretariat
> Unit 320, Eagle Court Condominium
> 26 Matalino St., Barangay Central
> Quezon City, PHILIPPINES
> Tel. + 632 9290376
> Tel/Fax: +632 4364733
>
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-- Junichi Sato <junichi.sato@no.address>
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