[February 2025] Registration for 2025 CLAIR Forum: ‘Waste Reduction and the Circular Economy’ Now Open!

On Monday 10^th of March, the 2025 CLAIR Forum, an annual half-day seminar organised by CLAIR Sydney and UTS IPPG, will be held at UTS. We invite you to an interactive panel session, held both in person and on Zoom, where our local government staff members will explore innovative waste reduction strategies and circular economy initiatives.

I believe it will be very interesting and useful to identify and discuss the similarities and differences between Japan and Australia/New Zealand’s local government initiatives. One key difference I personally feel from my life in Sydney is the rubbish disposal system. We have often been asked by councillors about how rubbish is separated in Japan. In Japan, residents are required to separate their rubbish broadly into four categories: burnable, non-burnable, recyclable and oversized items, and take out their rubbish to the set place on the set day for each type of rubbish as determined by the municipality. Local governments in Japan try to recycle rubbish and reduce the amount of waste as much as possible due to our country’s limited space for landfill among other reasons. The increased environmental awareness in recent years with regards to climate change and resource depletion has further promoted efforts to reduce waste.

We would like to thank UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance for their support in co-hosting the event. Two of our staff members will introduce the efforts of their respective local governments: Mr. Nishimura, seconded from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, will introduce the history of Tokyo’s waste management and key initiatives, as well as their latest efforts to promote a circular economy. Mr. Munakata, seconded from Kuroishi City Council in Aomori Prefecture, will be giving a presentation on their waste treatment plant.
We are looking forward to an insightful and enlightening forum.

Please find the details of the event below. We look forward to you joining us.

https://www.jlgc.org.au/our-activities/clair-forum/