The Teshima Island industrial waste case and its process towards resolution

 The worst case of illegal dumping of industrial waste in Japan occurred on Teshima Island. The disputes concerning the removal and treatment of waste material were completely resolved. An outline of the process of arbitration and the terms of the agreement are given. A technological examination committee was organized to resolve the problem of environmental pollution caused by industrial wastes. An impermeable wall has been constructed on the north coast of the disposal area to prevent polluted water from flowing out to sea. A total of 600 000 tons of industrial waste will be excavated and moved to Naoshima Island. This material will be melted down and transformed into slag at a new melting furnace in Naoshima, with a capacity of 200 tons per day. The slag will be reused as aggregate in concrete. Comprehensive environmental preservation measures and full environmental monitoring of sewage and emission gas are planned in Teshima and Naoshima. Received: June 10, 2002 / Accepted: June 10, 2002