In Japan e-wastes are collected through a “recycling ticket
system” to completely dismantle for treatment at 48 recycling
plants specifically for e-wastes around the country. Results of
both the preliminary and questionnaire surveys show that they
can monitor what is happening at field sites, operations of
treatment lines, and data on discharges and recycling rates in
each stage. The recycling plants are committed to maximizing
recycling rates not only for compliance with regulations
provided for in a relevant legal system, but also with taking into
consideration their business conditions as well as
environmental impacts. Additionally, treatment of home
appliances by almost fully dismantling has pushed forward
designing of new environmentally friendly products. It is
because, firstly, consumers now purchase new home appliances
for replacement more often than before due to low reuse rates.
Secondly, feedback given to manufacturing factories by
recycling plants, which face various problems associated with
the treatment of home appliances including difficulty in
treating specific components and in recycling specific
materials, enables designing of products easier to recycle.
Results of the questionnaire survey, however, reveal an issue of
“requiring some effort” in the treatment stage while results of
the preliminary survey reveal an issue that pursuit of materials
with higher purity brings about generation of additional wastes.