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• 04.01.15

January 15, 2004

The Cabinet is expected to approve the Cabinet Ordinance Partially Amending the Enforcement Ordinance of the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law on January 16, 2004. The Cabinet Ordinance adds sludge and other matters polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to the specially-controlled industrial waste and establishes a new standard for the collection and transportation of PCB waste.

As the Law concerning Special Measures for Promotion of Proper Treatment of PCB Waste (Law No.65 of 2001) has been enforced, the status of stored PCB waste has been identified through notification by businesses which have stored PCB waste. In addition, the Japan Environmental Safety Corporation is scheduled to start operations treating PCB waste in December 2004.

For this reason, it is necessary to expand the list of PCB waste, which is a specially-controlled industrial waste, and take action to strengthen regulations governing the collection and transportation of PCB waste, in order to ensure proper treatment.

Main amendments are as follows:

1. Addition of sludge and other matters polluted with PCBs, as a specially-controlled industrial waste (in relation to Article 2-4, Sub-para.5, Clause B)
   
   The newly added items designated as specially-controlled industrial waste are sludge generated in business activities that contains PCBs and not meeting the standard stipulated by the ordinance of the Ministry of the Environment, and PCB-contaminated concrete fragments and other similar waste generated in business activities involving the construction, rebuilding, or removal of a structure.
   
   
2. Establishment of a standard for the collection and transportation of PCB waste (in relation to Article 4-2, Sub-para. 1, Clauses E and F, and Article 6-5, Para.1, Sub-para. 1, Clause A)
   
   When collecting and transporting PCB waste, it must be stored in a transport container. The transport container used for the storage of PCB waste must comply with structure requirements set by the Ministry of the Environment, including having a hermetic seal.

The cabinet ordinance will be promulgated on January 21, 2004, and put into effect on April 1, 2004.