Introductory Guide

In order to fulfill our desires to live healthily and comfortably every day, a rich environment is an irreplaceable asset. One crucial responsibility of ours is to pass on an even better environment to our children.

The pattern of man’s socioeconomic activities—mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal—has heretofore brought about global environmental destruction by creating such problems as the need for proper waste disposal and the over-consumption of our resources and energy.

In particular, economic development has engendered yearly growth in the production of industrial waste, and illegal dumping and improper management of waste has brought further damage to the environment.

The Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law stipulates that every enterprise must take full responsibility in correctly disposing of all waste produced in the process of its activities, and that due effort should be placed into reducing the amount of waste through the reuse of waste products.

In order to respond to such needs for better waste management, the Oita Environmental Preservation Council was established in September, 1990. The Council, an organization of enterprises located throughout the prefecture, promotes proper disposal, reduction, recycling and reuse of industrial waste, while also helping to protect the daily living environment of prefectural citizens and advance the expansion of the industrial economy through various environmental preservation activities.

Members of the Oita Environmental Preservation Council consist of companies in such industries as construction, manufacturing, and those that comprise industrial complex sites. The Council conducts a wide range of activities—worker training, lecture meetings, testing and research, and information exchange—under the guidance and support of Oita Prefectural Government and other interest groups in order to establish and improve infrastructure systems dedicated to correctly disposing of the waste products of member companies, with the ultimate effect of protecting the environment.

In recent years, businesses are called on not only to supply quality products and services but are also posed the question of whether or not they contribute to society in various aspects of their administration, and with regard to such problems as the global environmental and the protection of the human habitat.

Many corporations are integrating environmental management systems into their activities. The Oita Environmental Preservation Council is also involved in the proliferation and development of such systems by holding for its member organizations seminars and research gatherings on such systems as the ISO14001 Environmental Management Standard and Eco-Action 21.

Council Activities

■Promoting proper disposal of industrial waste

■Holding educational meetings on the laws and standards regarding proper processing of industrial waste

■Touring the facilities of leading enterprises in the field of industrial waste processing

■Compiling and distributing reference and educational materials on proper waste disposal

■Supplying text materials and video resources for training, and dispatching lecturers for in-house training programs

■Promoting installment of regional or communal waste processing facilities

■Promoting reduction, recycling, and reuse (the 3R’s) of industrial waste products

■Holding educational meetings on laws and guidelines about recycling

■Holding seminars for the promotion of the 3R’s

■Compiling and distributing reference and educational materials, and dispersing information, about examples of the 3R’s put into practice

■Conducting training and touring trips to enterprises taking a leading role in proper processing of waste

■Compiling and distributing information resources and surveys about the supply of and demand for waste products and their exchange

■Promoting exchange and trading of waste products between enterprises

■Promotion of environmental management

■Holding study sessions on the ISO14001 Environmental Management Standard

■Holding study sessions on the Eco-Action 21 Environmental Management System

■Holding lectures and seminars on environmental management systems

■Conducting training events with visits to enterprises active in environmental management

■And other research, surveys pertaining to environmental management

■Promotion of environmentally friendly business activities

■Holding lectures and seminars on environmental issues

■Holding discussions and educational meetings on laws, ordinances, and regulation concerning environmental preservation

■Conducting training events with visits to businesses active in environmental management

■Compiling and distributing reference and educational materials about eco-friendly business activities

■Partnership with member institutions

■Information exchange and partnership with the Oita Association for Industrial Waste Processing

■Information exchange and partnership with the Oita General Contractors Association

■Information exchange with the National Association for Promotion of Environmental Conservation (NAPEC)

■Maintaining partnerships and communication with other institutions

Other activities

■Cooperating and partnering with local government agencies

■Cooperating with and participating in events on environmental preservation and waste processing

■Participating in and sponsoring such events as “Environment Month”, “Recycle Month”, and “Sanitation Week”

■Participation in Oita Prefecture and Oita City Councils for Prevention of Illegal Industrial Waste Disposal

■Long-term development of a fund for environmental infrastructure

■Compiling and distributing educational pamphlets on waste and environmental preservation

■Issuing the Council Newsletter

■Informing about published materials on waste and the environment

■Holding social exchange events for members

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