TOYOTA PROGRAM REDUCES TREATABLE WASTES BY 66%

TOKYO―The comprehensive industrial waste treatment and reduction program started by Toyota Motor Company several years ago to help eliminate pollution and avoid the dissipation of natural resources has been an overwhelming success.

Waste from the 7 major plants in Japan has decreased dramatically from 300 tons a day to less than 100 tons at the present time.

A major reason for the two-thirds drop in waste has been the success of sub-programs designed to recycle petroleum products, plastics, rubber and metal. Without recycling, these materials would have been incinerated, leaving an ash residue of 10,000 cubic meters per month.

Recycling has been aided by a systematic emphasis on "frugality" in the use of raw materials and the development of new uses for normally discarded products, i.e., employing certain plastics and rubbers as packing or cushioning materials wherever possible for vehicle parts and components.

The advanced treatment and recycling facilities in use include electronic and electrostatic smoke precipitators, metal shredders, compactors, and rubbish separators to classify materials according to combustibility and salvage value.

The Toyota waste reduction program was originally conceived to accomplish nearly perfect control over waste disposal, with emphasis on preventing pollution and ecological damage. The program is reportedly the most comprehensive in Japan for industries of comparable size.

Last year, for example, Toyota completed ultra-modern waste and sludge treatment facilities covering 9,100 square meters and capable of processing 150 tons daily. The overall fulfillment of program goals means that only 50 tons a day must now be treated.