Sustainably-Made Waste Centers

Architect Hiroshi Nakamura designed the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. It was made using waste materials for a more sustainable solution to waste management. Approximately 700 windows were donated by the local community to incorporate into the waste and recycling center's facades.

The Zero Waste Center is made predominantly from waste materials, which falls under the region's legislation decreed that its incinerator could no longer remain in active use due to unsafe levels of dioxin emissions. Kamikatsu, where the center is located, was the first municipality in Japan to use a Zero Waste Declaration; all waste products are recycled or reused rather than sent to landfills or incinerators. Thus, the community developed a 45 category system that sees 80% of waste recycled. The recycling center is, therefore, a focal point for the region's waste initiatives.

Image Credit: Hiroshi Nakamura