Japan to Boost Aid for Plastics Recycling

August 30, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's Environment Ministry plans to beef up financial assistance to companies and others introducing advanced plastics recycling equipment, in response to China's ban on imports of plastics wastes, informed sources said.

The ministry will seek 4.5 billion yen in funding for the program under the budget for fiscal 2019 from next April, triple the amount earmarked under the previous year's budget.

The ministry expects the move to help Japan cope with plastics wastes by itself without having to rely on other countries.

China, which had imported some 1.5 million tons of plastics wastes from Japan every year, banned imports of them at the end of last year.

Japan's exports of plastics wastes to countries other than China have since been expanding. Some businesses are considering exporting them to India, people familiar with the matter said. But these countries may ban imports in the future.

The subsidy program covers half the costs of purchasing equipment to crush, wash and dry plastics wastes and that to recycle carbon-fiber reinforced plastics.

The ministry launched the program in fiscal 2018. It plans to keep the program in place until fiscal 2020 after expanding its budget. Jiji Press