TOKYO, March 4 (Kyodo) - The Environment Ministry decided Monday to boost annual power generation from waste by 50 percent over the next five years through fiscal 2012 as well as abolish direct dumping into landfills as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ministry officials said.
By expanding waste power generation, the ministry aims to reduce the use of fossil fuels such as petroleum.
Under the method, electricity can be produced with the heat from the incineration of waste, and no carbon dioxide will be newly emitted just for the power generation.
According to the ministry, 286 out of 1,319 waste disposal facilities in Japan had electricity generation systems at the end of fiscal 2005, with capacity totaling 1,515 megawatts, and annual capacity is expected to reach 1,630 megawatts in the current fiscal year through March 31. The ministry is then looking to raise the figure to 2,500 megawatts, which is equivalent to the amount that can be produced by one nuclear power plant.
In a bid to encourage local municipalities to refurbish their waste disposal facilities, the ministry plans to provide municipalities that newly set up waste power generation facilities with subsidies to cover one-third of their costs, according to the officials.
The ministry also judged it necessary to stop direct dumping in light of the fact that the dumping of food garbage and other organic materials into landfills without processing them leads to the emission of methane gas, a greenhouse gas, although the amount accounted for only 2. 9 percent of overall waste disposal in fiscal 2005.
The ministry on Monday submitted to the Central Environment Council, one of its advisory panels, a draft bill that incorporates household waste disposal plans and numerical targets.
The ministry aims to receive approval from the Cabinet within this month.
According to the ministry, overall waste disposal in fiscal 2005 came to 52. 73 megatons, of which 45. 78 megatons were incinerated or processed in other ways.
A total of 7. 33 megatons of waste garbage was disposed of into landfills. (Kyodo)
Today In Asia : Last Update : 08:02:53 4 March 2008 (GMT+7:00)
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