Initiatives for environmental conservation
Overall picture of the environmental impacts of our business activities
Perspective of the environmental load by Daiseki Group’s recycling business
Scope of data coverage: Daiseki and Group companies
Period of data coverage: March 2022 to February 2023
Appropriate treatment of waste
While we recycle the wastes that we accept from our customers, we outsource a portion of wastes that we are unable to recycle to waste disposal service providers that perform landfill or incineration. Managers in charge of waste emissions at our business sites outsource the disposal only to such waste disposal providers that comply with the contractor selection criteria stipulated in our Waste Management Regulations. We further conduct regular on-site inspections of the waste disposal providers to judge their continued eligibility as contractors.
Detoxification of toxic waste
The Daiseki Group accepts specially controlled industrial waste which includes toxic substances such as strong acids, strong alkalies, and heavy metals, and renders the substances harmless through appropriate treatment agents. In FY2023, we accepted and treated 216,000 tons of specially controlled industrial waste, and outsourced 11,000 tons of their treatment residues and other remaining substances for disposal by external waste disposal businesses. Specially controlled industrial waste, as defined by the Waste Management Act, is highly hazardous waste with adverse effects on the natural environment if left uncontrolled even in trace amounts. We contribute to conservation of the natural environment by properly treating these substances.
-
Received volume of specially controlled industrial waste
-
Discharged volume of specially controlled industrial waste
Prevention of air pollution
In accordance with the Air Pollution Control Act, we perform annual measurements of air pollutants emitted from all our soot- and smoke-emitting equipment, such as small boilers, and maintain the values within the required criteria. We also install dust collectors, humidification equipment, and other equipment in plants to prevent the generation of dust from industrial waste treatment.
Measures against unpleasant odors
Daiseki takes steps to counter unpleasant odors from the waste we receive by analyzing samples of that waste before it is delivered to us and, in cases where it generates significant unpleasant odor, determining in advance whether to accept its delivery and the treatment methods to be used. We are working to prevent odors within our plants by eliminating odor of exhaust gas with a deodorizing device .
Controlling water quality of drainage water
Daily management of wastewater is not just limited to water quality standards set by law , such as the stabilization of wastewater facilities, the maintenance and strengthening of control processes, and emergency response training. It also includes individual agreements with municipalities and the establishment of voluntary standards at each site to guarantee rigorous management of wastewater.
Prevention of off-site leaks
We install raised dikes around storage tanks and oil-water separation tanks in plants to prepare for unlikely incidents of wastewater or waste oil spill to prevent the liquid to enter rivers, soil, groundwater, or outside of our sites.
Proper storage and treatment of PCB waste
The low flammability and excellent electrical insulating properties of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have led to their wide use as insulating oils in electrical equipment. However, their manufacture and import are currently prohibited due to their high toxicity. We do not own equipment that contains PCBs.
Moreover, we do not handle PCBs and when we receive industrial wastes for disposal we confirm that they do not contain PCBs.
Compliance with laws and regulations related to the environment
We comply with laws, ordinances, and other regulations related to the environment, and have established proprietary standards to ensure proper management. To comply with revisions to environment-related laws and regulations such as the Energy Conservation Act*1, the Global Warming Countermeasure Act*2, the Chemical Substance Management Act*3, Chemical Substance Evaluation Act*4, the Waste Management and Cleaning Law*5 and the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act, we collect information provided by government bodies, industry associations, and other parties, and promote awareness and enforcement in relevant departments. In 2022, we had no instances of violation that resulted in fines or penalties.
*1 Common name for "Act on the Rational Use of Energy
*2 Common name for "Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures"
*3 Common name for "Act on the Assessment of Releases of Specified Chemical Substances in the Environment and the Promotion of Management Improvement"
*4 Common name for "Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances"
*5 Common name for ”Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act"