No.34 Milestone Year for Waste Management Project

(Inagi Newsletter August 15, 2014 issue)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tamagawa Sanitation Association and the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Yatosawa Disposal Site.
The Tamagawa Sanitation Association was established in September 1963 by the towns of Komae and Tama for waste incineration, and was renamed the Tamagawa Sanitation Association when Inagi Town joined in August of the following year.
In August 1967, Inagi Town and Tama Town established the Inagi-Tama Sanitation Association for sewage treatment, and in April 1971, Komae Town joined, renaming it the Inagi-Tama-Komae Sanitation Association. As a result, the constituent organizations of both associations for waste incineration and sewage treatment became the same, leading to the merger of the two associations into the new Tamagawa Sanitation Association.
Subsequently, in March 1993, Tama City withdrew due to the construction of a new factory in the Tama New Town area, and in April of the same year, Fuchu City partially joined (the area south of Koshu Kaido). In April 1998, the current new factory began operations. In April 1999, Kunitachi City joined, and in April 2007, Fuchu City joined fully (the area north of Koshu Kaido), leading to the current situation.
On the other hand, the incineration ash generated from waste incineration is processed by the Tokyo Tama Wide Area Resource Recycling Association, which consists of 25 cities and 1 town in the Tama area, including Inagi City.
Until the early 1950s, waste in the Tama area was processed by burying it in each city, with organic waste being in demand by pig farmers. However, after the period of rapid economic growth, the rapid increase in population and personal consumption led to a sharp rise in waste, making it difficult for each city to process it properly.
In July 1973, the Waste Final Disposal Measures Council was organized, and after long discussions on the establishment and maintenance of general waste final disposal sites, the Tokyo Sanitation Association for the Mitama Region was established in November 1980, and the Yatosawa Disposal Site in Hinode Town was completed and began operation in April 1984.
This final disposal site completed its landfill in April 1998, and now, 30 years after its opening, a biotope has been established, gradually restoring the former natural environment and preserving flora and fauna.
In April 2006, to shift from simply landfilling waste to further resource recycling, the Eco-Cement project was initiated, leading to the renaming of the association to the Tokyo Tama Wide Area Resource Recycling Association.
I have heard that Hinode Town has faced significant challenges regarding the acceptance of the final disposal site. I feel a responsibility to ensure that this fact is not forgotten and is passed on to the future.
Additionally, the Tamagawa Sanitation Association experienced many accidents during the fiscal years 2010 to 2011, causing concern and inconvenience to the citizens of the four constituent cities and the residents of Hinode Town. We have established a committee to promote the prevention of recurrence of accidents and are working towards restoring trust while implementing improvements across all aspects of factory operations.
Waste was once a topic to be avoided, but it has now become a central issue in environmental administration. To maintain the beautiful Tama area for the future, let us continue to promote waste reduction and recycling together, learning from the wisdom and efforts of our predecessors.