2017.11.15
Kurashiki Kankyo problem puts waste disposers in disarray
After the news that Kurashiki Kankyo Co.’s license for waste disposal was suspended last week, local waste disposal service companies have been confused over how to deal with the situation.
Many of them reportedly are worried about where to take their waste, expected rise in costs. On the other hand, the Okinawa Prefectural Government seems to negotiate with several companies to minimize the effect of the closure of Kurashiki Kankyo as much as possible.
Kurashiki Kankyo has been the partner of choice among many small waste disposal service companies on Okinawa. The reason is that Kurashiki Kankyo has accepted the waste at the lowest price. Reportedly, they also would accept any waste, even when the waste was mixed with other materials.
An executive of a waste service company in Kadena Town said the sole reason his company contracted Kurashiki Kankyo was the cheap price. According to him, Kurashiki charged for waste wood chips ¥2 to ¥3 less per kilogram than other waste companies. For this reason, some companies from as far as Itoman and Nago came over to Okinawa City. “Kurashiki Kankyo is valuable for waste service companies who have to deal with tons of waste. Without Kurashiki Kankyo, we need to take the waste out of Okinawa, which would more than double the cost. It’s also obvious that illegal dumping would increase if Kurashiki Kankyo is closed down,” the executive said.
Okinawa Industrial Waste Association calls for its member companies to calm down and avoid confusion. Its executives worry that the busiest season (end of the year) will come soon. “We would like to serve as a mediator between the member companies and the government to solve this matter,” an association representative said.