Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture: Japan's First! Launch of Horizontal Recycling for Lactic Acid Beverage Containers

Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, has been promoting resource circulation in collaboration with various stakeholders, aiming to create a "Circular Economy originating from Ichihara" towards achieving the SDGs. As part of this effort, in FY2023, the "Ichihara City Polystyrene Chemical Recycling System Promotion Council" was established, and citizens, businesses, and the administration have been working together to advance chemical recycling (Note 1) of used polystyrene.

Now, through the collaboration of companies participating in the council, the full-scale operation of Japan's first "horizontal recycling (Note 2) of lactic acid beverage containers" will commence.

*Note 1: A new recycling technology that chemically decomposes used plastic products and reuses them as raw materials for plastic products.

*Note 2: Recycling collected products and materials into raw materials for equivalent products and materials, and then re-manufacturing them.

**Horizontal Recycling of Lactic Acid Beverage Containers**

This is an innovative initiative that involves separately collecting used lactic acid beverage containers, re-resourcing them through chemical processing, and transforming them into new lactic acid beverage containers.

**Horizontal Recycling Process**

① Separate collection of used containers at Unimo Chiharadai

② Crushing process at Meinan Co., Ltd.

③ Transportation to Toyo Styrene Co., Ltd.'s chemical recycling plant

④ Manufacturing of "Refresh Polystyrene®" through chemical decomposition

⑤ Manufacturing and utilization as new containers at Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.

**Utilization of Recycled Materials**

Starting from April 2026, the permanent collection of lactic acid beverage containers at Unimo Chiharadai will serve as a model case to promote the utilization of chemically recycled materials.

**Ichihara City Polystyrene Chemical Recycling System Promotion Council**

This council was established to connect the "resource circulation loop" of used polystyrene products through public-private partnership, with numerous stakeholders working together.

**Past Initiatives**

**FY2023**

* Establishment of the Council
* Trial collection of used polystyrene products (food trays, etc.)
* Establishment of a working group (Lactic Acid Beverage Container Horizontal Recycling Study Group)

**FY2024**

* Start of collection points for used polystyrene products (food trays, etc.)
* Processing commenced at the used polystyrene chemical recycling plant installed within Denka Co., Ltd.'s Chiba Plant
* Conclusion of a business cooperation agreement regarding polystyrene chemical recycling (Ichihara City, Denka Co., Ltd., Toyo Styrene Co., Ltd.)
* Collection and re-resourcing tests of lactic acid beverage containers after consumption by the working group

**FY2025**

* Continued collection points for used polystyrene products (food trays, etc.)
* Collection and re-resourcing tests of lactic acid beverage containers after consumption by the working group

**FY2026**

* Continued collection points for used polystyrene products (food trays, etc.)
* Full-scale operation of horizontal recycling for lactic acid beverage containers