A piece of  artificial island in theTokyo Bay for the biggest waste recycling project in Japan. Here is the Super eco town project.. Incredible !

We were supposed to have a visit with Russian and Japanese people. But the Russians missed their flight, so we spent the day with twenty Japanese people.

Simona, « Italian/Japanese » young lady having studied in France (she thus speaks 4 laguages with English !) suggests to be our translator for the whole day ! « I don't understand anything. The words are too technical! she said, being worried right during the first appointment ! By chance, a Japanese man will be the link by explaining every project with simple words. Simona went on the whole day.

3 visits were organized, all within the Super Eco Town Project…

The objective of this initiative launched 5 years ago by the city of Tokyo is to reduce the quantity of waste of the city where  live millions of people.

Tokyo decided to set up the Super Eco Project on an artificial island of its bay. Grounds gained on sea always belong to cities. (investments that  only public institutions can afford), the plots can be resold or kept by the council.

The idea was to organize a contest submitting a list of the 10 most problematical wastes to the specialists of the Japanese recycling. The specialits had to suggest a solution to manage and to increase their value in the best way. The winner would get an  industrial site at cheap price and important subsidies.

 5 were selected in 2002, 5 others in 2006. It concerns plastic recycling, construction or demolition wastes, toxic wastes, metals, electronic or food components. 

« It is horrible, I think I will vomit! » Simona lsaid, during the visit  of the recycling site of rice, sushis and other Japanese sausages. They will be transform into food complements for chickens and pigs. 

The recycling of construction and demolition waste is impressive.It is a succession of machines separating concrete,plastic, metals, woods and other wastes.Sives, magnetizations machines, blowers follow each other in a precise order allowing to automatically separate almost all the wastes.  

It is in a strange universe and behind window protection that we can see the employees equipped like astronauts, during our last visit.

This site is unique in the world, being in charge of a very toxic product, the PCB. This substance was the main element of the transformers and electric condensers. In other words, the big boxes that one can see on top of the electrical poles It has been more than 30 years that the Japanese store thses transformers waiting to find a solution not to burn this PCB, very noxious. All the other countris in the world burned it.

It is in 2004 that  the chemical reacion allowing the decomposition of the PCB became possible on an industrial level and that this factory was built.

"hy did Japan keep these transformers ?"we ask to our Japanese interpreter.

« It is in our culture, I believe ! We live on a very small area, so we are very attentive to our emission.The US for example live on a huge territory, that is why they still produce their huge  SUVs which pollute so much !!! » he says with a big smile!

This last factory is at the image of Japan and the great behavior of the Japanese in many situations that we met during these three weeks... Everything is measured, regulated, planned ! Is it an insular behavior !