The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry announced that it will promote reutilization over recycling for beer & other glass bottles in the latest draft revision to its ordinance for container & packaging material recycling. Current ordinance stipulates that if beverage companies collect 90% or more of their glass, municipal governments must cover the remaining 10% or less of the costs of recycling. In the draft, this applies even if firms have recovered around 70% of the bottles, meaning that municipalities will be covering the costs of recycling of the remaining 30%. This is expected to draw objections from municipal governments, & adjustments will probably be needed. The ministry is considering letting supermarkets & other retailers deduct the amount of food wrappings & containers they have collected themselves from their annual recycling obligations.
