The Container Problem

Container and packaging recycling entails a number of costs. Below are the costs we bore in FY 1999:

Costs for One-way Containers

FY 1999 payments to Japan Container and Packaging Recycling Association: total 122.828 million yen (after taxes)

This figure represents the manufacturers' cost burden, borne by Japan Container and Packaging Recycling Association, for one-way bottle and PETE bottle recycling, as stipulated by the Recycling Law. The funds go toward covering the recycling costs of local governments collecting containers.
* Recycling of the containers that come from households involves both the costs paid by manufacturers and the costs (taxes) collected by local governments.

Glass bottles colorless ¥16,478,000 brown ¥2,777,000 other colors ¥6,801,000 PETE bottles ¥96,772,000

Costs for Collection and Recycling of Commercial-use One-way Containers: 176.441 million yen

Businesses are required to collect and recycle empty containers from commercial use. The above cost is the amount we paid for expenses stemming from collection and recycling.

Costs for Returnable Containers

New costs stemming from 720ml returnable bottles: 298.860 million yen

This does not include direct costs for recycling of 1.8-l bottles, an activity we had practiced from early on. The cost for returnables is the cost borne by the manufacturer for deposit and P-box.

* In addition, indirect costs arise from improving product ease of use.

In addition to the above, there are costs paid by the planet -- the costs paid through the environmental destruction caused by landfilling and incineration. We need to proceed with container selection and optimally efficient recycling activities based upon the total environment cost of container recycling, composed of the costs companies bear, the costs local governments bear, and the costs the earth bears.