With support from the Julia R. Brown Education and Research Fund, MAS Climate Science and Policy student Soraya Bernal traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to conduct on-site research for her capstone project on waste management, waste reduction, and net-zero emissions strategies. Through facility visits, stakeholder interviews, and a resident survey spanning 35 municipalities, she explored how Tokyo’s policies, infrastructure, and social norms shape its approach to incineration, recycling, and public engagement. The experience gave Soraya valuable insight into community-based and large-scale waste solutions that will inform her future work in waste reduction and sustainability.
Purpose
I am deeply grateful to the Julia R. Brown Fund for giving me the opportunity to conduct on-site waste management research in Tokyo, Japan, as part of my capstone project for the Master of Advanced Studies in Climate Science and Policy at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I spent around four weeks in Tokyo, Japan, between March and April of 2026, with the purpose of better understanding Tokyo waste management systems in relation to net-zero emissions and waste reduction goals, by studying the revolving policies, infrastructure, and current progress. Additionally, I had the goal of engaging local stakeholders to gauge public opinion and sociopolitical climate surrounding waste management in Tokyo.
Overview
Site visits:
- 5 incineration plants under the Clean Authority of Tokyo (Toshima, Ariake, Suginami, Shibuya, and Meguro): These tours were led by the incineration plant workers. I viewed different facility features for combustible waste; learned of efforts to prevent pollution, reduce waste, recover material, and engage the public; and heard workers’ opinions.
- Itabashi Ward Recycling Plaza: I went on a self-guided tour of this facility, with specialized recycling drop-off and a reuse shop on the first floor; a community space with tables, resources, and informational displays on the second floor; and recycling processing zone viewing corridor on the third floor.
- Recycle Chitosedai: This is a community-run recycling and drop-off facility, collecting materials for recycling such as PET bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic and styrofoam trays, clothing, cooking oil, newspaper, and small electronic appliances.
- Musashino Clean Center: This facility processes municipal combustible, incombustible, and bulky waste, and conducts rooftop gardening and composting. While the tour was self-guided, I was able to talk to a few workers and hear their opinions.
Stakeholder interviews:
- Industry interviews (2 total): The first industry interview was with Yohei Kuroki, an executive director at PANTECH, a plastic recycling services and consulting company. The second industry interview was with Reiko Futagi, president and representative director at Otani Seiun, a waste disposal and recycling services and consulting company. These in-depth interviews covered topics such as company visions and operations, infrastructure, impact of sorting rules, circular economy initiatives, and future directions.
- Tokyo resident interviews (8 total): I learned about the culture surrounding waste sorting rules, observed a range of preferences for amount or scale of incineration and recycling, and learned of some successful waste reduction strategies that have been implemented.
Tokyo Resident Survey:
The Tokyo resident survey gathered 147 responses, from 35 municipalities, and of all age groups ranging from under 20 to over 90. The survey had 22 questions, of which 14 were measuring sentiment on a scale of 1 through 5. Some topics covered include sorting rules and categories, awareness, incineration, recycling, pollution prevention, landfill capacity, and composting.
Contribution to Research
The on-site activities during my trip to Tokyo provided me with invaluable insights that I would not have been able to gain otherwise. It is through the in-person facility visits and conversations, that I immersively learned of the infrastructure, engaged the community to hear unfiltered opinions, experienced the societal culture that shapes daily practices, and gained access to printed informational resources that are unavailable online.
Striking Aspects
The most striking aspect of my experience was how different status quos can be.
- Infrastructure: In Tokyo, focus on incineration and sanitation comes first, and incineration reduction through recycling comes afterwards. In contrast, in the US, emphasis has been on landfilling first, waiting for issues to arise, then addressing sanitation, pollution, and health issues, and promoting recycling later on
- Composting: Waste reduction in Tokyo puts less emphasis on composting, which is viewed as an individual or small community practice. In contrast, US states put more emphasis on large-scale composters, such as through a California state law: SB 1383.
- Sorting: In Tokyo, there is emphasis on pre-collection sorting of recyclables, making recycling more efficient and less contaminated. In contrast, in the US, mixed recyclables are usually sorted post-collection.
- Social norms: Tokyo seems to have a more collective culture of following rules and not inconveniencing others. In contrast, the US seems to have a more individualistic culture where there is a need to create incentives for people to follow rules.
Another striking finding was just how many materials can actually be recycled or repurposed. It is often not the physical inability that prevents recycling or reuse, but the lack of infrastructure, social cooperation, policy, etc. For example, incineration is often looked down upon in the US, viewed as burning valuable resources, while the reality is that many materials end up in landfills, being put to no use and polluting its surroundings. However, even the “dirty” waste that cannot be recycled traditionally, is put to some use with incineration in Tokyo, through energy recovery of electricity and heat produced, and recycling of incineration ash into construction materials.
Connecting to my Career Path
I am pursuing a career in waste management and reduction systems, whether it be policy outreach and implementation, community initiatives and organization, or sustainable art making and workshops. This research trip to Tokyo was a very valuable experience for my career, providing me with useful tools and knowledge. Not only did I learn of large-scale municipal waste management system features very different from the US that may not be easily implemented elsewhere, I also learned of community-oriented practices that could be more easily emulated. Some examples include project ideas for textile recycling, youth education, and community engagement. My biggest takeaway is to stay open-minded, to continue thinking outside of the box for solutions, and to push forward waste reduction initiatives.
Blog content and images provided by Soraya Bernal – thank you!