Dashboard Tracks Municipal Use of Sewage Sludge as Fertilizer
Overview
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism created a dashboard to visualize progress by local governments nationwide in using sewage sludge resources as fertilizer. Against the backdrop of securing a stable supply of fertilizer materials and promoting resource circulation, Japan has set a goal of doubling their use as fertilizer by 2030 and has encouraged local governments to take action through notices and other measures. The dashboard enables each local government to compare and understand its use and consideration status against that of other local governments. The ministry hopes that use of the dashboard by industry, academia, and government stakeholders will further accelerate efforts to use these resources as fertilizer.
Key points
- The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism created a tool to visualize local governments’ use of and consideration of sewage sludge resources as fertilizer.
- The goal is to double the use of sewage sludge resources as fertilizer by 2030.
- Each local government can compare and understand its progress against that of other local governments.
Overview
Expanding the use of sewage sludge resources as fertilizer is needed to secure a stable supply of fertilizer materials and promote resource circulation. To further advance these efforts, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism created a dashboard tool that visualizes progress by local governments nationwide.
Impact
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism hopes that use of the dashboard by stakeholders from industry, academia, and government, including local governments, will further accelerate efforts to use sewage sludge resources as fertilizer.
Details
The goal of doubling use is set out in the Policy Outline for Strengthening Food Security, decided in December 2022. To achieve the goal, in March 2023 the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued a notice to local governments stating that fertilizer use should be the top priority in sewage sludge treatment, among other measures to encourage action.
The tool visualizes progress nationwide among local governments in using sewage sludge resources as fertilizer. Each local government can compare and understand its own use and consideration status against that of other local governments.