Reaching the SDGs through Recycling (Koyo Co., Ltd.)Hiroshima for Global Peace

Reaching the SDGs through Recycling (Koyo Co., Ltd.)

Reaching the SDGs through recycling

The SDGs include a number of items relating to keywords such as resources, waste, and recycling. On this occasion, we covered Koyo Co. Ltd., which is engaged in waste collection and recycling in Asaminami Ward.
Garbage is one of the environmental issues that have been attracting attention because of ocean runoff and landfill shortages, and its root cause lies in our consumer activity. As consumers, there are things we can do, such as thoroughly separating waste and avoiding producing unnecessary waste. These small efforts are essential for achieving a sustainable society and will also reduce the burden on those working at recycling centers. When we sort and dispose of garbage every day, it is important to be aware of how our actions are affecting society and the environment.

The garbage collection that underpins normal daily life

If the work of those who are engaged in garbage collection were to disappear, garbage would overflow into every aspect of our daily lives, and the clean streets that we currently enjoy would disappear. Our current clean lifestyles are made possible by the strong sense of mission of those who work every day in the heat, wind, and rain to collect garbage left behind by unknown people.
In October of this year, Koyo started a new project called Omoiyari Omoritai. The company conducted a year-long survey to find out what kind of garbage problems its customers were facing and set up a special team to provide consultation services for those who did not know how to dispose of their garbage. By providing consultations on issues ranging from garbage disposal to daily life, it contributes to SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities.”

Doing the right thing to make Earth-friendly choices

Normally, garbage collection is carried out by contractors who are registered by the authorities, but do you know that there are also people who collect garbage illegally?
These unregistered companies cause trouble for the registered companies by undercutting on prices. Using these unregistered companies means that the waste will not be properly disposed of or recycled, which will further worsen environmental problems such as illegal dumping and discharge of waste into the ocean, making it impossible to achieve the SDGs. I think that if more people learn the facts and are able to make the right choices for both the recycling companies and the environment, we will have a better society.
The SDGs initiatives have spread from the local level, to the national level, to the global level, and now involve many different fields. Each of these is the culmination of small actions by consumers, but I believe they will bring about big changes in the near future.